PARTS of Kingsbridge were hit by floods last weekend, with Bridge Street and Mill Street filling with several inches of water on Saturday night.

Tim Newman landlord of the King of Prussia pub said: ‘We had about one and a half inches in parts of the pub from about 10.30pm on Saturday night, flooding out the garage, kitchen and toilets.

‘We only had about three customers in the pub at the time, so they said they were happy to leave, and then we spent about two hours getting the water out.

‘It was alright, we’ve seen a lot worse!’ Tim added.

Elsewhere, following heavy rainfall, flash floods hit many other corners of the South Hams, including Aveton Gifford, Bowcombe Bridge, the A379 near East Charleton, the bridge over the River Avon on the B3196 near Loddiswell and the A381 towards Salcombe.

And Kingsbridge Fire Station were called to rescue four people stuck in a car in flood water between Moreleigh and Diptford. The water was beginning to recede by the time the crew arrived, and they were able to easily push the car out of the water.

Kingsbridge town clerk, Martin Johnson said: ‘The Met Office only gave three hours warning, so I think it took a few people by surprise.

‘The amber warning was moved forward from midnight to 9pm, just before 6pm.’

With heavy rain forecast for Monday, Mr Johnson and members of the council cleared the leaves out of the surface water drains on Bridge Street, Duncombe Street, Mill Street and Ropewalk.

Mr Johnson advised that local people keep an eye on the surface water drains, and be prepared to clear out the leaves with a shovel if necessary.

‘Everybody knows their local black spots,’ Mr Johnson said.

He also recommended that ‘all residents and businesses in Kingsbridge sign up to the Met Office warnings,’ so as to be updated and aware of extreme weather conditions.’

Devon Highways cleared debris and trees from the roads, and warned of potential problems across the area, particularly on minor roads.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council cabinet member for highway management and flood prevention, said: ‘Our teams are working around the county in difficult conditions. The heavy rain is causing disruption across the county and road users are advised to take extra care, stick to main roads where possible, not to drive through floodwater and not to drive through road closures.

‘We are targeting safety issues in locations where there are problems which may affect properties and businesses. We are also prioritising the main A and B roads on our primary network and are proactively dealing with areas where there are known issues.’

On Tuesday, the Environment Agency had flood alerts in place on a number of local rivers, including the ‘Avon, Erme, Harbourne, coastal streams from Bigbury to Dartmouth, and Kingsbridge, South Brent and Ivybridge areas.’

Coincidentally, the Environment Agency and South West Water are surveying Kingsbridge this week, looking to find out an engineering solution to flooding in Kingsbridge floods.

They are expected to report on possible solutions for the town in mid-2017.