Floods chaos as Dorset hit by deluge (From Thisisdorset)

Floods chaos as Dorset hit by deluge

10:02am Monday 14th January 2013 in Latest By Catherine Bolado

DORSET was hit by a deluge over the weekend with roads closed as the county was swamped by floods.

Heavy rain on Saturday morning led to flooding as Dorset Police closed roads and firefighters rescued motorists from their cars after they got stuck in flood water.

Hail battered Broadmayne while out towards Kingston Maurward on the A35 there was heavy surface water and spray as the water ran off the fields.

Stinsford, West Stafford, East Knighton and Lulworth all experienced flooding. The Dorchester bypass was closed from the Stinsford roundabout to West Stafford junction for a time.

The West Stafford bypass was also closed.

The A352 at between Owermoigne and Wool was flooded and a landslip at Osmington shut the road from Warmwell to Weymouth for most of Saturday afternoon.

At Winfrith Newburgh flood water swept across the road.

Farmer Bryn Parker said the future of his small-holding at Winfrith was uncertain after flood waters gushed across his fields.

He said: “The road was totally flooded and there were cars stopped in it.

“The water was literally rushing over the road like a waterfall.”

He said water had gushed into the fields and had flooded his pig pens and had also got into the duck pen.

He said he was worried the water had got into the food storage pens.

He added that at one point the water had gone up about two feet in an hour.

Neighbour Paul Cook, who owns Hanging Gardens Nursery in Winfrith, said he had to wade up to his waist to get from his car to his mobile home.

He estimated that the water was about 35 inches deep.

He said it was the sixth time since July 2012 that the business had been flooded.

He said: “We have never seen it as deep as this.

“It’s like a river.”

Mr Cook added: “The business is wrecked, totally ruined.”

He said it was ‘bad enough’ when the last floods in December hit when he was in hospital.

He added: “It was pretty well wrecked then.

“It’s worse now.”

Mr Cook added that his car had been flooded and that water had also got into the refrigerator unit of his son Matt’s van.

In the aftermath of the flooding Mr Cook said that they had been left with thick mud and debris.

Mr Cook said: “How can I describe it? It’s just a devastated mess now.”

Flood alerts were also in place for the River Piddle and the Lower Frome and their tributaries.

There were large puddles on the Weymouth to Bridport coast road but it was passable with care and the road into Lyme Regis was badly affected by flooding.

The A35 at the Baker’s Arms roundabout, near Upton, was also closed for a time, leading to delays.

Yesterday afternoon firefighters had to rescue another driver and a vehicle from flood water on the West Stafford bypass.

A spokesman from the fire services said: “We would like to remind members of the public not to drive through standing water as the depth is not known.

“Don’t drive through a road closed sign due to flood water as they have been put in place for safety reasons.”

Environment Agency Issues Alerts

THE Environment Agency issued a flood warning for the South Winterbourne Valley as well as the Wey at the peak of the downpours.

There were also flood alerts in place for west Dorset rivers streams.

They included the rivers Char, Lim, Simene, Brit, Asker, Mangerton and Bride in the Bridport, Lyme Regis and Charmouth areas.

• SPORTING fixtures were called off across the county due to the weather.

Dorchester Town FC’s Blue Square Bet South trip to Eastbourne Borough was called off due to a waterlogged pitch, as was Weymouth FC’s away clash at AFC Totton in Hampshire.

Other cancelled matches included Bridport, Bridport Reserves, Chickerell United, Portland United, Weymouth Reserves, Upwey and Broadwey and Weymouth Sports.