Flood warnings and alerts issued after rain in Devon and Cornwall

Flood alerts and warnings have been issued across Devon and Cornwall

Flood warnings and alerts have been issued in Devon and Cornwall after heavy rain battered the region.

A Met Office weather warning for rain between 00:00 GMT and 12:00 on Wednesday was issued earlier this week.

The Environment Agency (EA) has issued five warnings and 18 alerts across the counties.

EA officials said river levels were rising as a result of the rain and added people should "take care" in affected areas.

Flood warnings

Devon:

• River Harbourne at Crowdy Mill, Beenleigh, Bow and Tuckenhay

• Rivery Yarty from Yarcombe to Axminster

• River Avon from Didworthy to Aveton Gifford

Cornwall:

• River Cober at Trenear

• River Hayle from Relubbus to St Erth

Flood alerts

Devon:

• Exmoor Rivers near South and North Molton

• Middle Exe area near Tiverton

• Rivers Clyst and Culm and their tributaries near Cullompton and Exeter

• Rivers Otter and Sid, and Exmouth area

• South Devon Rivers near Kingsbridge and Ivybridge

• River Yealm near Sherford

• River Plym and Tory Brook near Plymouth

• Middle River Tamar near Lifton

• River Axe near Axminster

• Lower Torridge area near Great Torrington

• Barnstaple, Braunton, Ilfracombe and Combe Martin area

• Lower Exe area near Exeter

• River Dart area near Buckfastleigh

Cornwall:

• Upper River Tamar near North Tamerton

• River Lynher near Liskeard

• North Cornwall Rivers near Wadebridge

• West Cornwall Rivers near Hayle

• River Cober near Helston

The Met Office weather warning is the latest of several for rain across England and Wales during February.

In the current warning, Met Office bosses said: "Heavy rain may result in some flooding and disruption on Wednesday morning."

Met Office climate scientist Professor Peter Stott said Devon's vulnerability to flooding from sea storm surges and river levels rising was becoming a "real issue".

"Particularly communities around the coast, they're vulnerable to both types of flooding from the sea, and also from inland, and that I think is the issue," he said.

He added: "There's obviously crumbling of cliffs and so on, and the people who are very directly living there are very directly affected.

"But I think it is not so much the fact the land is getting a huge amount smaller, rather than the coast communities near the sea are vulnerable from surges coming from the sea level rise, as well as flooding from the rivers which are coming from the sea as well."

Figures from the EA said 519mm (20.43 in) of rain has been recorded at Whitebarrow on Dartmoor in February so far, which is above the average of about 150mm (5.9 in) for the month recorded.