Cornish surf life-savers help in Northampton floods

The members of Cornwall Surf Life Saving club responded to a call to assist rescues at a holiday park in Northampton

A specialist team of surf lifesavers from Cornwall have been drafted in to help rescue people in a major flood incident in Northamptonshire.

Storm Bert caused torrential downpours that caused "devastating" flooding in Northampton on Monday with a threat to life warning put in place.

Four members of Cornwall's Surf Life Saving (CSLS) clubs were called to aid the evacuation of people living and visiting the flooded Billing Aquadrome Holiday Park.

CSLS chairman Nigel Bowden said they worked across the site through the night with an inflatable boat looking for people stranded in caravans flooded by nearby lakes leaving "300 lives at risk".

Billing Aquadrome Holiday Park was flooded on Monday

Mr Bowden said the Cornish team relieved the West Midlands fire brigade which had succeeded in evacuating the site.

The CSLS team's job was to find anyone left behind, he explained, so they swept the areas but found no-one.

He said: "We're a boat team and there's not that many in the country so we were called because of that extra skill our lifesavers have."

In 2015 the team was called to Carlisle to help evacuate residents after the town was flooded by Storm Desmond.

The members of Cornwall Surf Life Saving club swept the flooded holiday park checking for stranded people