A361 closure: Major Somerset route shut after flood warnings

The A361 is closed between Burrowbridge and East Lyng

A major route is closed amid fears that floodwaters could spill onto the road.

The A361 across the Somerset Levels has been shut and police are warning drivers to respect the closure.

An Environment Agency (EA) flood warning is in place for Currymoor, which is one of the largest flood storage reservoirs on the Somerset Levels and Moors.

A Met Office yellow weather warning for rain will be in place from 21:00 GMT until 18:00 on Thursday.

The emergency road closure gates at Burrowbridge and East Lyng are likely to remain closed for several days, Somerset County Council (SCC) says.

Motorists have been urged not to drive through the floodwater, as this would open up the risk of being swept away and having to be rescued, or getting stranded if car engines take in water and stop.

Avon and Somerset Police tweeted: "There have been reports of people forcing open the gates at the closure - please be advised this closure is for your safety and any road blocks should not be breached."

The A361 was closed for almost three months due to flooding in 2014

The EA explained that when storage reservoirs become full, excess water will be conveyed down a spillway into the next storage reservoirs at Northmoor and Saltmoor.

This creates a flood risk to the A361, with a high chance of water getting onto the road.

As a precaution, the council has put in place a pre-emptive road closure.

Following the 2014 Somerset flood crisis, emergency road closure gates were installed at eight locations to prevent vehicles getting stuck in flood waters.

The EA said it was monitoring the situation and using all available opportunities to reduce the water level of Currymoor.