Axminster is bracing itself for more heavy rainfall tonight (Thursday), with some home owners still dealing with the aftermath of last week's major floods.

It was estimated that two months worth of rain fell in just six hours last Wednesday night, causing some significant damage to Axminster properties, particularly in the Millbrook area around the Stoney Lane and Chard Road roundabout.

Another 50mm of rain is now forecast to fall this evening.

Some residents have complained that they have not received enough support from Devon County Council and other local authorities following last week's deluge.

The residents of Millwater House, just off the mini roundabout, and their neighbours said their properties had been "devastated" by the flooding.

Philippa Nixon commented: "We have never had flooding in these properties since records began and our house has been here since the Doomsday census!

"The flood wiped away entirely our brick-built garage, washed away everything we had stored in our barns and completely destroyed our annexe where my elderly parents stay.

"Our poor neighbours who are in their 70s were evacuated from their bedroom window by the fire brigade after their entire ground floor filled with seven feet of water in under a minute!

"They are lucky to have got out in one piece as the husband was caught under a piece of furniture and spent nearly an hour in the water. Their insurers have told them they will be out of their home for up to 18 months the damage is so horrendous.

 

"Despite numerous calls to the council, the surrounding area is still treacherous; eight inches of silt and mud across all pathways, trees left precariously teetering after the river bank has been ripped away, and a 15 foot sink hole has opened on the grass verge by the bridge and debris everywhere blocking the river. 

 

"This flood has been directly caused by the developers building on the flood plain behind and above our homes. We are horrified that there has just been permission granted to build another 35 properties and will fight it tooth and nail. 

 

"Something must be done to prevent this from happening again and we intend to make a lot of noise until we get answers."

Gillian Tester, who lives in the Weycroft area, sent an open letter to the three local councils, commenting: "I am writing to express my disgust at the lack of any local authority input to the residents in the Weycroft area, where ratepayers faced severe flooding last Wednesday.

"The following day neighbours and our selves surveyed the damage, nobody called or contacted us as we wrestled with insurance companies.

"I rang Axminster Town Council to seek advice about water and electricity safety. The very casual response from office staff was that the council were doing nothing. There was nothing on the local TV news.

"For this sort of local service we pay about £2,500 pounds annually.

"My 80-year-old husband cleaned the debris, which was blocking the drains on the main Chard Road and I rang highways to clear the straw and branches away. Nobody came .

"On Thursday I rang again but our address could not be located initially. Eventually I asked for the name of the boss and a man arrived with a broom two hours later.

"Is this the best Axminster, East Devon and Devon councils can do?

"There is still a pile of debris on the verge opposite my house, and somewhere on the way to Chard is my water butt, all piling up to block drainage channels at the next downpour.

"Our insurers surveyed the property and said it was the worst flood damage they had seen; mud covering the whole of the ground floor once the water had subsided."

Commenting on Facebook, Axminster resident Christine Miller added: "I'm fuming that the council have not been to clean all the mud away at the short cut to Flax Meadow Lane, near the bottom of Stoney Lane – it's treacherous. Elderly residents will have to walk up Catnip Close and down Cherry Tree Road."

More rainfall than during 2012 floods

Responding to concerns, county councillor for Axminster, Ian Hall, commented: "Firstly, my thoughts are with all who have been affected by last week's storm and I hope that things improve in the coming days.

"There was actually more rainfall in the area last Wednesday than there was during the 2012 flooding event."

Cllr Hall said he has been dealing with issues in three areas since last Wednesday – highways, brooks and watercourses, and flooded properties.

He continued: "I have been advised that it was estimated two months rain fell in six hours, therefore, it is inevitable that some flooding was experienced on the highway network.

"This doesn't mean that the gully(s) or culverts were failing but is purely down to the system being overwhelmed by the amount of rainfall within that period of time not able to get into the system, causing the roads to act as temporary watercourses.

 

"Devon Highways are responsible for dealing with rain that falls on the highway but not water that flows off adjacent land onto the highway or to a point lower down.

"Unfortunately, landowners adjacent to the highway do not have to prevent the natural drainage of water from flowing onto the highway unless there is a risk of pollution to watercourses.

 

"By law, a person owning lower-level land has to accept natural land drainage water (that is, spring water, ground water or surface water run-off) from adjacent land at a higher level.

 

"A land/property owner/occupier, is permitted to make necessary adjustments to prevent flooding to their property provided there is no interference with the drainage from the highway or to the detriment of other land/property owners/occupiers (planning permission may be required in some instances).

 

"Sewerage systems are the responsibility of South West Water and do not come under the remit of the highway authority.

Climate change affecting rainfall

 

"As a result of climate change we are experiencing more prolonged and intense rainfall events that are putting our existing drainage systems under pressure beyond that which they were designed to cope with.

"At times this is outside of our control and we all therefore need to become more aware and resilient during such times regarding highways."

 

"We have many watercourses within the division, which include the Weycroft/Millbrook (improvements were made 2017) and the Purzebrook and Gamberlake Brooks and they were overwhelmed by the amount of rainfall from the valley sides.

"I would urge all who have unfortunately suffered with flooding to capture the information and report by clicking here so the authorities can capture the information and will be able to consider improvements to negate future 'weather events' such as we all found ourselves experiencing last Wednesday evening. 

"Further information can also be gained by contacting the County Council's Flood Risk Management team on [email protected] or by calling 01392 38300 and ask for Flood Risk.

 

"The amount of rainfall experienced last week was far greater than that which occurred in 2012 when many properties in Axminster and the wider area were devastated by flooding.

"The authorities are now working hard together to understand the details of last week's event, the etent of flooding and the number of properties affected.  

"It is disappointing to hear that some residents have had floodwater enter their property, but without the scheme completed in 2017 we would certainly be faced with catastrophic flooding to a larger number of properties, far more than that back in 2012.

 

"I have received a considerable amount of enquiries from residents/businesses and organisations who have been badly impacted and I would like to assure you that, together with our partnering authorities, we will continue to look for solutions that can counter the climate changes that we see with our own eyes and we, as communities, are more resilient in the future to negate such events."

More heavy rain forecast tonight

Axminster is hoping to be more prepared for tonight's forecast rain.

Working with Westcrete, the town council has arranged for 850kg bulk sand bags (enough to fill 50-70 smaller sandbags) to be available from 7pm from the following locations:

Junction of Beavor Lane / Millwey Avenue (grass verge)

Junction of Combefield Lane / Auction Place (wide section of pavement)

Junction of Woodbury Lane / Woodbury Park (by grit bin on grass verge)

Entrance to North St Allotments (grass verge)

Axminster Guildhall (behind TC noticeboard)

All the spare (empty) sandbags are in the storebox outside the Guildhall which is unlocked. Caution – lid is quite heavy.

Axminster fire service has also issued the following safety advice:

Respect road closure signs, whether you're driving or walking

Don't attempt to walk through flooded areas

Even shallow water moving fast can sweep you off your feet

There may also be hidden dangers like open drains, damaged road surfaces, submerged debris or deep channels. These can cause serious injuries or even death

Don't smoke, eat or drink while in contact with floodwater, and wash your hands afterwards as the water may be contaminated

If your vehicle stalls, leave it immediately and find safety on higher ground

Keep children and vulnerable people out of floodwater