In a nutshell
- 🌧️ Major incident declared in Somerset after Storm Chandra floods about 50 properties across Ilminster, West Coker, Taunton, Mudford and West Camel; risk on the Somerset Levels and Moors remains high.
- 🚆 Severe travel disruption: rail services between Taunton and Exeter hit by flooding; a sinkhole forces GWR to close the line between Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbott; domestic flights cancelled at multiple UK airports.
- 📊 Extreme conditions: 105mm of rain on Dartmoor in 12 hours; gusts up to 75mph at St Bees Head; deep snow in the north; 47 school closures in Devon and 300 in Northern Ireland; River Otter at a record high.
- 🆘 Emergency response: Devon & Somerset Fire rescue people from 25 vehicles stranded in floodwater; Devon & Cornwall Police urge against non‑essential travel; crews work overnight as roads remain impassable.
- ⚠️ Growing concern over resilience: leaders like Julian Brazil decry underinvestment; FLAG criticises waterway maintenance and pump outages; Met Office issues yellow warnings for ice and rain; experts link intensifying downpours to climate change.
Storm Chandra has left a trail of floodwater, fallen trees and shattered travel plans across the south-west, prompting Somerset to declare a major incident. Crews worked overnight as rivers rose, lanes disappeared and homes were inundated from Ilminster to Taunton. Snow smothered the north, gales whipped the coasts, and disruption rippled nationwide. With saturated ground and fresh rain still in the forecast, officials warned that impacts could compound rapidly. The message was stark: conditions remain volatile, and the next 48 hours will be critical for communities already on the brink. Calls for long-term investment in resilience are growing louder by the hour.
Somerset Declares a Major Incident as Waters Rise
Somerset Council confirmed that about 50 properties were flooded across Ilminster, West Coker, Taunton, Mudford and West Camel after extensive flooding overnight. The authority warned that the risk on the Somerset Levels and Moors remains high as rainwater moves through the system. Council leader Bill Revans said parts of the county saw more than 50mm of rain on already saturated land, causing widespread disruption and road closures. Teams worked through the night clearing debris, checking vulnerable sites and responding to reports of impassable routes. Emergency planners are braced for conditions to deteriorate again if additional bands of rain arrive on sodden catchments.
The south-west, already punished by storms Goretti and Ingrid earlier this month, again took the brunt. In Ottery St Mary, the River Otter rose to its highest level on record, while waves hammered Kingsand in Cornwall and floodwater filled roads near Helston. Devon and Cornwall Police urged people to avoid non-essential travel across Exeter and east and mid-Devon. Fire crews from the Devon and Somerset service rescued people from 25 vehicles stuck in floodwater; officials reported no casualties. Across these low-lying landscapes, every millimetre of rainfall matters, and every hour without respite carries fresh risk.
Communities Cut Off: Rescues and Travel Disruption
As rivers pushed their banks, the knock-on effects multiplied. Deep snowfalls in northern Britain compounded the chaos, contributing to hundreds of school closures, including 47 in Devon and 300 in Northern Ireland. Rail passengers faced cancellations, delays and bus transfers between London and the south-west after flooding hit the line between Taunton and Exeter. GWR also confirmed that a large sinkhole, exposed by Storm Ingrid, will force an overnight closure between Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbott from Wednesday into Thursday. For many communities, the task has shifted from commuting to coping.
Air travel was also disrupted. Domestic flights serving Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heathrow, Leeds Bradford, London City, Manchester and Southampton were cancelled. By late Tuesday, England had 96 flood warnings and more than 250 alerts; Wales counted three warnings and 17 alerts, with eight warnings and eight alerts in Scotland. Travel advice has hardened: think twice before setting out, and expect diversions if you do. The headline numbers tell the story.
| Metric | Location/Period | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Rainfall | Dartmoor (12 hours) | 105mm |
| Maximum Gust | St Bees Head, Cumbria | 75mph |
| Maximum Gust | Machrihanish, Scotland | 63mph |
| Properties Flooded | Somerset towns | ≈50 |
| Vehicle Rescues | Devon & Somerset | 25 |
| Flood Warnings | England | 96 |
| Flood Alerts | England | 250+ |
| School Closures | Devon / Northern Ireland | 47 / 300 |
Local Anger Over Infrastructure and Resilience
Frustration surged alongside the rivers. Julian Brazil, leader of Devon County Council, said the floods laid bare the region’s vulnerability. “We feel a bit cut off down here. The south-west feels let down.” He pointed to rail disruption between London and the south-west, where services were cancelled, delayed or replaced by buses. Billions spent shaving minutes from northern routes mean little to communities that cannot reach the capital at all when the weather turns. The plea is blunt: invest in resilient networks that can endure repeated batterings, not just run faster on calm days.
Across the Tamar, the discontent is familiar. After Storm Goretti, many in Cornwall were left without power, water and internet for days. On the Somerset Levels, the Flooding on the Levels Action Group (Flag) accused authorities of underfunding waterway maintenance and raised alarm that a key pumping station was offline earlier this month during heavy rain due to planned electrical works. Flag’s Bryony Sadler feared homes could again be at risk: neighbours were moving animals to higher ground and lifting possessions. Resilience is not rhetoric; it is budgets, dredgers, pumps, and timetables that work when the sky opens.
Nature Under Pressure and a Changing Climate
The crisis is ecological as well as human. The Devon Wildlife Trust warned that rapidly rising, fast-moving water can overwhelm beavers on the River Otter, especially inexperienced juveniles. Burrows and lodges may flood; debris becomes lethal. These moments expose the fine line between natural flood buffering and outright hazard in a warming world. Scientists are unequivocal that extreme rainfall is becoming more frequent and intense because warmer air holds more water vapour. When saturated catchments meet convective downpours, no valley is truly safe. Land use and flood defences, too, shape who drowns and who dries out.
Fresh hazards loom. The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for ice on Wednesday across much of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and southern and central Scotland, with a separate yellow warning for rain in South West England on Thursday that could bring further flooding and transport disruption. In Devon, Billy Vernon described wading through waist-deep water to bring supplies to his family after floodwater surged into their home near the River Axe at 4am. “It was frightening,” he said, surveying ruined furniture and sodden walls. The north faced significant rail and road disruption too, as snow, wind and rain combined to close routes and sever connections.
Somerset’s emergency declaration is a warning from the future as much as a response to the present. Storm Chandra has shown how quickly layered shocks—rain, wind, snow, and failing infrastructure—can overwhelm communities at the UK’s western edge. The data is clear, the images unforgettable, the voices angry and exhausted. Resilience will not be built overnight, but the need is immediate. As the next weather systems queue up, what mix of funding, maintenance, nature-based solutions and robust infrastructure would you prioritise to protect people, wildlife and the economy when the waters rise again?
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