Summary

Live Reporting

Edited by Richard Greenaway, Emma Hallett, Chris Kelly, Bethan Evans. Written by Leigh Boobyer and Dawn Limbu.

  1. Thank you for reading

    That's all from our team of reporters in the West of England today.

    There will be more travel and weather information on your local BBC radio station tomorrow morning.

  2. Waiting for the water to subside

    Man with glasses and a warm coat standing in front of a flooded hotel. The sign reads The Swan.Gus McKay

    Gus McKay lives in Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire.

    “I spoke to the local barbers. He had done what he could do prevent damage but his business is ruined," he tells the BBC.

    He adds that the inside of an estate agent, the tea rooms, and an Italian restaurant are flooded.

    “People have been given sand bags now, but it’s too late," he says.

    “Now we are just waiting for the water levels to subside to start the clean up."

  3. Water receding on Chippenham High Street

    Neil Beck
    BBC Radio Wiltshire

    Grey / brown floodwater with black bollards sticking out of it, in an empty shop-lined town centre.

    Water levels on Chippenham High Street have now fallen considerably.

    Despite this, water is still pooling on the lower section of the road, as these images show.

    High street scene with shops lining both sides. In the distance the lower part of the high street is flooded from door-to-door. Further up, the road is lined with metal benches and is now flooded.

  4. Still some disruption to rail services

    Railway like with Water between the tracks. The top of the tracks is above the surface of the water.

    Flooding has affected rail services in the West of England several times this year, including in January (pictured at Chipping Sodbury)

    GWR and Cross Country have warned of some disruption to their rail services in the West for the rest of the day.

    Earlier trains were unable to reach the region from London because of floodwater, but service has since resumed. People wanting to travel are being urged to check train times online before heading to the station.

  5. Chippenham centre still flooded

    Marie Indge
    BBC Wiltshire

    Speaking to Graham Rogers on BBC Radio Wiltshire:

    My parents used to tell me stories about the flooding in 1968 and George Flowers the scrapyard merchant bringing his lorries along and ferrying people from one side of the river to the other.

    I've talked to local business owners and people coming down to have a look, and the mood is resilience and 'we will get through this'.

    The message from the emergency services, Wiltshire Council and the Environment Agency is absolutely not to try and cross the water.

    Water drainage into the river overwhelming the banks

    The Avon burst its banks and caused significant flooding in Chippenham.

  6. Houses flooded in Lydney

    Alastair McKee
    Reporting from Lydney

    "It's your whole life gone. I'm nearly 50. Everything I've worked for in my life is now ruined."

    Dave King recently moved into his new house in Lydney, but was flooded at the weekend.

    "It happened really fast," he said.

    "The water was lapping on the drive and then within half an hour it was in the house. It's a real mess."

    He added: "Some vulnerable people living nearby had to be rescued by emergency services on a raft."

    Tall man in grey hoodie with darker grey coat over the top. His is standing in floodwater near his blue van.

  7. Roads closed across the West

    There are a lot of road closures across the West today. Here is a brief overview of some of the disruption faced by commuters as we head into rush hour:

    • Old Broughton Road, Melksham: Closed in both directions with severe delays due to flooding from A350 Western Way (Farmers roundabout) to Lidl
    • A363 Bathford Bridge, Bradford on Avon: Closed in both directions due to flooding from Masons Lane to Silver Street
    • A431 Bath Road, Kelston: Closed in both directions due to flooding from Blacksmiths Lane to Upton Cheyney turn off (Bitton)
    • A363 St Margaret Street, Bradford on Avon: Closed in both directions due to flooding from Tithe Barn turning to Bath turn off

  8. Rewilding of river questioned by councillor

    Ross Hemming, Wiltshire councillor for Chippenham, has highlighted the ongoing consultation to 'rewild' the river through the town and remove the weir.

    The proposed scheme, led by the Environment Agency, would see the removal of the aging radial gate and weir, and their replacement with smaller weirs.

    "How will that affect situations like this in the future?" he said.

    "I would have thought.. any flood water would go through Chippenham quicker if there was no barrier there."

    "We'll all be looking at this. Crawling all over it. Why, how and what are the future implications."

    Councillor Ross Henning standing in front of flood water in Chippenham

    Mr Henning said the flood water is "unprecedented"

  9. Lydney pitches under water

    Alastair McKee
    Reporting from Lydney

    Flooded sports pitch from a drone. The field behind the pitch is also flooded.

    Flooded pitches are concerning for Lydney AFC, who like most clubs, rely on matchday income.

    Lydney AFC turned up to play at the weekend and found their pitch was under more than a metre of water.

    They are desperately worried about the finances of the club because they need to host football to keep going.

    As it stands they cannot host football fans and they cannot open the bar.

    It was also the same at Lydney RFC, which has flooded for the third time in four years.

  10. Dramatic extent of Melksham flooding

    Photos shared with BBC West by Melksham Independent News show the extent of the flooding in the town.

    Melksham is one of several towns hit by severe flooding in the last couple of days.

    The town sits either side of the River Avon.

    Two people in scrubs atop a large step on the front of a large stone building. The water is coming up to the step below themMelksham Independent News
    River with broken banks snaking its way between a car park and a series of low-rise buildings. A road bridge crosses it, with a van atop it.Melksham Independent News
    Cars driving through flood water, which rises about halfway up their wheels.Melksham Independent News
    Flooded road seen from a drone, with cars trying to progress along it.Melksham Independent News
    Large houses flooded either side of a road.Melksham Independent News
    River with burst banks flowing between a sports pitch and a small industrial estate. The river stretches into the background and is flooded all the way to the back of the imageMelksham Independent News

  11. Concerns about prolonged flooding

    Karen Gardner
    BBC Wiltshire

    Setting sun with orange and blue sky, with whispy clouds, over floodwater

    Towns and rural parts of Wiltshire have been hit by flooding.

    George Kirby lives in Christian Malford, just upstream from Chippenham on the Avon.

    He is concerned about the effect prolonged flooding will have on the community.

    “This a vast amount of water," he said.

    “If you see downstream especially into Chippenham, the weirs there are all flooded, so it just shows you the amount of water we’ve had.

    "Last night it was okay to get through, however, this morning it was completely different."

  12. Road under water in Hambridge

    There's continuing travel disruption in Somerset this afternoon as a major route is under water.

    The A37 is closed northbound because of flooding from Vagg Lane at Chil-thorne Dowmer to the B-3151 Yeovil Road at Ilchester.

    There's also a lot of standing water on the A303 westbound. it's west of the junction with the A37 at Ilchester.

    A field submerged in flood water

    Flood water in Hambridge has forced a major route to close

  13. Third pub closes due to flooding on River Avon

    There's also another pub - the Lock Keeper in Keynsham - which has closed due to flooding.

    In a post on Facebook the venue said it hopes to be open on Tuesday.

    It only reopened in March following damage from Storm Henk in January.

  14. South Gloucestershire village 'trapped'

    Beth Cruse
    BBC News, West of England

    Cars driving through flood water

    Roads in Winterbourne are submerged in flood water

    I'm standing at the bottom of Winterbourne Down. The Damson Bridge is completely submerged under three feet of water.

    I've been speaking to residents who say this is the worst flooding they've ever seen.

    Winterbourne, Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath are also affected by the ongoing closure of the A432 Badminton Road Bridge, which means people around here don't actually have any way of getting out of the village.

    Henfield Road and Damson Bridge are shut because of the flooding and people are telling me they feel trapped.

    I've spoken to one lady who said she tried to make a hospital appointment at Southmead Hospital in Bristol but she couldn't go because of the flooding at Frampton Cotterell. People are saying they also can't get to work and have to work from home.

    The impact of Storm Bert is having a real knock-on affect here.

  15. Two pubs close as river levels rise on the Avon

    Two pubs close to the River Avon between Bristol and Bath have closed as river levels continue to rise.

    The Swan in Swineford has closed after "rising water" began entering the building. To protect staff and customers staff took the decision to close.

    The Old Lock and Weir near Hanham has the same problem saying it has become a "swimming pool overnight". It is now clearing water from the pub.

    A red closed sign, underneath a post from The Swan in Swineford, saying they are shut due to rising water levelsFacebook

  16. Latest on Somerset's roads

    Somerset Council has received more than 350 call-outs for flooding.

    184 fallen trees have been reported and crews are said to be working "flat out" around the county.

    The council says several main roads are closed:

    • A3088 closed due to clear-up: overturned lorry
    • A37 Ilchester Road - road flooded
    • A36 Beckington - road flooded
    • A30 Hentsridge Marsh - road flooded
    • B3227 Norton Fitzwarren - fallen tree blocking the road
    • Limington Road Ilchester - road flooded
    • Cuts Road East Lyng - road flooded
    • Langport Road, Muchelney - road flooded
    • New Road West Lyng - road flooded

  17. Football club 'may not survive flooding'

    An aerial view of a flooded football pitch in Lydney

    Lydney Town Football Club's pitch has been completely submerged in water

    These drone shots show the extent of the damage at Lydney Town Football Club in Gloucestershire, which has been badly affected by the flooding after the pitch and clubhouse were completely submerged in water.

    Speaking to the BBC earlier, director of football Neil Hook said the football club "may not survive this".

    "It's devastating to be honest," he said.

    "It's a volunteer-run club, we put so much effort into everything we do."

    A football pitch completely submerged in water

    The club needs to raise enough money to repair the damage

  18. Aerial footage shows extent of floods

    New aerial footage shows the extent of flooding in two Wiltshire towns.

    Rising waters in Bradford-on-Avon and Chippenham have put both town centres at a standstill - with the water level at Bradford-on-Avon the highest on record.

    Emergency services have been working to help people in both towns.

    ADVISORY: There is no sound with this video

  19. Water level at Bradford-on-Avon highest on record

    The water level of the River Avon at Bradford-on-Avon has reached its highest point on record, measuring 3.43m (11.2ft), according to the government's flooding service.

    Previously, the highest level recorded was 3.42m (11.22m), which was on Christmas Eve in 2013.

    The top of the river's normal range is 1.58m.

    A graph showing the River Avon's water height in metres over the last five daysGov.uk

    The water level of the River Avon has reached its highest on record

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  20. TV personality Christine Hamilton's Wiltshire home flooded

    Christine Hamilton is pictured on the left wearing a red jacket and sunglasses. She has her arm around her husband, Neil Hamilton, who wears a stripy blue suit and colourful bow tiePA Media

    Media personality Christine Hamilton said Storm Bert brought the worst flooding in two decades into her kitchen, which was submerged in two inches of water.

    Mrs Hamilton, who came third in the first series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2022, shared footage on social media of her husband, former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton, bailing water out of their home in Hullavington, Wiltshire, on Sunday evening.

    "We were literally bailing out water constantly for three hours, just to try and keep the level down to what it was," Mr Hamilton said.

    "We had two inches of water in the back kitchen, and then if we stopped bailing for two seconds, the water would climb even further."

    Mrs Hamilton said some friends attempted to bring the couple a pump to help them remove the water, but it was "impossible" to reach the house due to flooding.

    A living room submerged in two inches of flood waterPA Media

    Mrs Hamilton and her husband say they spent "three hours" bailing out water from their kitchen