HEAVY rain and winds gusting up to 70 mph brought pre-Christmas misery to homes and businesses across West Somerset as the district was battered by storms.

When people's thoughts should have been turning to turkey and tinsel, many spent Christmas Eve mopping up as properties in several areas were flooded.

Blocked drains and gullies coupled with the sheer volume of water made driving conditions difficult on both the A358 Taunton to Williton road and on the A39 from Williton to Minehead.

And fallen trees also created havoc for drivers.

Met Office figures from the Liscombe recording station on Exmoor revealed that more an inch of rain fell on already sodden ground in just 13 hours from 6pm on Monday night to 7am on Christmas Eve.

In Minehead, shop owners in The Parade worked beyond midnight and into the early hours of Tuesday morning to clear inches of filthy water from their businesses.

And it was double trouble for Glenmore Bakery owner Sylvia Jeromson, who not only had her existing shop on the corner of Holloway Street and The Parade to clean up but also the shop next door, where she is relocating her business in the new year.

Sylvia and her two sons Edward and Connor worked from just after midnight until 3.30am before going straight to start the early shift at the bakery unit in Williton at 4am.

"It was absolutely horrendous," she told the Free Press.

"We left home in Watchet shortly after midnight and the amount of water in Carhampton and at Dunster Lawns was just unbelievable.

"When we got to Minehead the water was cascading down Holloway Street."

At its deepest, the water was about three inches high in Sylvia's new shop, formerly The Orange Pip, which luckily was empty.

"We just kept shovelling like mad," said Sylvia.

"It's not just the water - it's the mud and sand that comes with it.

"It was filthy and not very pleasant but it was worth all the effort.

"We didn't lose any stock as we always keep it off the ground and we were able to open on time and meet all our Christmas orders."

At nearby Toucan Wholefoods, owner Sally Eveleigh was full of praise for staff member Nikki Sharpe.

"Someone called her at half past midnight to say the shop was flooded but she didn't tell me," said Sally.

"Nikki came down on her own and lifted everything up and mopped the floors.

"I had no idea until I came in this morning but I could see what had happened as everything was off the floor.

"It's just rather horrible but I think we'll be OK. We've not been affected in any long-term way but that's largely due to Nikki - she's been a star."

Sport also fell victim to the weather, with football's big derby between Minehead and Watchet Town - due to be played yesterday (Boxing Day) - being called off on Tuesday morning because the Irnham Road pitch as waterlogged.

Meanwhile, firefighters and highways teams were kept busy throughout Monday and into the early hours of Christmas Eve as the weather took its toll on properties and roads.

Crews from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service responded to a total of 250 weather-related incidents and rescued 26 people from 16 cars across the two counties.

Firefighters were called to Bilbrook shortly after midnight where vehicles were stranded in floodwater but luckily no one was trapped inside.

From about 10am onwards crews were also called to help pump out flood water from homes in Bampton Street, Minehead, Wootten Courtenay and Carhampton, with properties in other parts of the district, including Bicknoller, also affected.

The Environment Agency issued flood alerts from lunchtime on Monday on the Horner Water, Aller and Washford Rivers and the Hawkcombe, Monksilver and Doniford Streams and tributaries but the warnings were no longer in force by Christmas Eve.

On the roads the severe weather saw Somerset County Council highways teams receiving 275 calls up to 5pm on Monday and a further 98 from then until 6am the following morning.

These included more than 150 reports of hazards in the roads, including fallen trees and other debris and more than 50 incidents of drains and gullies blocked by branches.

The authority had ten teams working on flooding issues and a further ten tree contractors dealing with fallen trees through Monday.

And as the heavy storms continued to batter the county throughout Monday night, the council doubled the number of out-of-hours emergency gangs.

A spokesman said most A and B roads remained passable but among the worst affected was the stretch of the A358 between Taunton and Williton.

Council leader Cllr John Osman paid tribute to staff and contractors who had worked "flat out" in the pre-Christmas rush.

"It was a tough 48 hours for them at a time when most of us were winding down for Christmas," he said.

"But if needs be they will be out again over Christmas Day, Boxing Day and beyond.

And more misery could be on the way post festive celebrations, as forecasters were issuing a yellow warning for possible severe weather today (Friday), with gusts of up to 40mph predicted.

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