Community picking up the pieces from devastating floods

A week after devastating floods hit Somerset, one community is still cleaning up its village.

Croscombe, near Wells, was severely hit by the floods in early January, with waters reaching heights of four feet as the River Sheppy burst its banks.

Many of the villagers still have their personal belongings outside on the street, after the waters broke through their doors and flooded their homes.

Now, residents fear flooding could become more regular as the effects of climate change are felt.

Debris is still strewn across the village

Jill Pettit lives on the bank of the river and told BBC Somerset she was used to small levels of flooding, and on this occasion did not put her flood barrier out.

However, she said in the space of 90 minutes, the ground floor of her home was submerged with four feet of water.

"It was rushing in the front door as well as the back door," she said,

"I couldn't open my front door. I was shouting to people outside saying 'help me! Can you open my door for me?' but they couldn't so I went upstairs.

"All the lights had gone out by that point and there was no heating, so I just went to bed."

Ms Pettit said she has been forced to move everything to higher ground

Ms Pettit added she tried and failed to get downstairs at midnight, but by the morning was able to see the damage.

Nothing works in her home now, she explained, with most of her belongings either upstairs, or drying out on tables.

"Personally, I'm feeling a little bit displaced. I'm not sure where I am, where I'm going to work."

She said she now worries climate change could make flooding worse and more common, and wants the county council to do more to prevent it.

Jill Pettit said she is used to flooding

Across the village, Ollie Baker, the chef at The George Inn said: "I've never seen anything like it.

"It was flowing so fast. It's normally a lovely little stream that flows through and past people's houses but... it was pretty traumatic."

He added the road was completely flooded, with videos showing water levels coming up over car bonnets and bins floating through the village.

The river wall, which comes up around six feet from the river bed, could not be seen when the levels peaked.

Mr Baker said his pub, which is in the centre of the village opposite the river, saw up to two feet of water inside all of a sudden, adding a team of volunteers came round as levels subsided to help try and reopen the venue.

He told BBC Somerset on the morning after, the village looked like a "bomb site".

"There was debris, and people's possessions and wheelie bins and things everywhere," he said.

Several houses in the village still have sofas and mattresses outside, but several volunteers helped clear the pub the following day so it could open.

Me Baker said the mood in the village is "pretty hopeful", adding people are "still continuing to help as much as they can".

The river burst over the wall that runs alongside it

Somerset Council said: "The physical and emotional impacts to families, communities and livelihoods because of flood water can be devastating and long-lasting.

"Unfortunately, we will never be able to stop flooding from happening, but we can try to understand the risks in an attempt to reduce the danger to people and property.

"That is why Somerset Council does have a co-ordinated unit which deals with emergencies, including flooding events - the Civil Contingencies Unit.

"Under the previous councils structure, this unit was in place under the name of the Civil Contingencies Partnership; so in essence nothing has changed apart from the name.

"This team works closely with Somerset Council colleagues in highways, flood and coastal team, housing as well as other organisations."