RESIDENTS across West Somerset were left mopping up for the second time in as many days after the district was hit by around a month's worth of rain.

There was absolutely no respite from last Tuesday and Wednesday's downpours as the wet weather continued into last weekend.

Businesses in Minehead were among those hit on Saturday night as water cascaded down through Park Street, Wellington Square and The Parade.

But thankfully, although many shops were inundated with several inches of muddy flood water, most were able to clean up and reopen on time.

However, David Pollard, the owner of newly rebranded greengrocer's shops the Orange Pip in both Minehead and Williton, was forced to close his Minehead outlet in The Parade on Monday due to flood damage.

Although most of the stock was clear of the muddy water, the floor of the business was saturated and began to lift as it dried.

Mr Pollard, who only took over the businesses six weeks ago, said the Williton shop escaped unscathed and the Minehead flood was not necessarily all bad news.

"We had a good couple of inches throughout the Minehead shop and it left behind a layer of mud.

"We had just bought racks to put the stock on at the back of the shop, but we lost a fridge-full of stock when the electrics went.

"I would have preferred to have had clean water in to enable me to do such a deep clean, but this is the perfect excuse to do some decorating!"

Graham Sizer, chairman of Minehead Chamber of Trade, praised everyone who had pitched in to help with the clean-up operation.

"Nobody complained, they all just got on with it.

"The cleaners came from all over the place and did a marvellous job," Mr Sizer said.

He said several businesses had been affected by floodwater, with the situation exacerbated by what Mr Sizer called "boy racers" causing tidal waves as they drove around the town.

Other shop owners that had shored up their doors with sandbags arrived on Sunday to find them missing, apparently 'borrowed' by other businesses in the area.

Staff from West Somerset Council filled several hundreds of sandbags at the end of last week as forecasters warned of the impending deluge.

There was also universal praise for the emergency services, volunteers and Good Samaritans across the region.

New Washford Inn landlord Dee Held opened her doors to numerous motorists who found themselves stranded when the A39 and surrounding lanes became impassable due to both floodwater and landslides.

"We had five people who stayed until 3.30am when they were told it was safe to return home, plus another lady and a couple from Minehead who chose to stay overnight," Dee said.

One of those she helped, Alex Slater of Minehead, was full of praise for staff at the pub: "We could not have been made more welcome.

"Although the new landlords only moved in two weeks ago and had guests to look after for breakfast and a Sunday carvery to prepare the next day, they provided us with shelter until 3.30am when the Environment Agency team returned to let us know there was a diverted route which was passable over the hills."

Holiday home owners at the Hoburne Holiday Park at Blue Anchor also found themselves at the mercy of rising floodwaters, with six people having to be rescued by boat.

Firefighters from Minehead, Williton and Wiveliscombe checked a total of 95 caravans on site after being called in by park staff.

James Lapage, Hoburne's managing director, said: "We received a call shortly before 1am from one of our holiday home owners whose brother was staying at the park and was concerned about flood levels.

"Hoburne staff quickly assessed the situation and called the emergency services.

"Everyone was brought to reception, where we provided refreshments."

Water levels started to drop at the park after the high tide at 4am and guests were able to return to their caravans later in the morning.

During the worst of the downpours on Saturday, the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service handled more than 400 emergency calls in an eight hour period.

This included 51 incidents involving vehicles stuck in floodwater, with calls to rescue people trapped in their cars on the A39 near the Dragon House public house in Bilbrook, on the A39 at Nether Stowey and the C-road leading to Hinkley Point nuclear power stations.

In addition, they were called on to help remove dangerous branches in Normandy Avenue in Watchet as the area was continued to be pounded by both high winds and rain on Sunday night and flooding caused more problems at the Smugglers Inn, Blue Anchor and for residents in Church Cottages, Williton.

Chief fire officer Lee Howell praised both operational crews and fire control staff for their response.

He said provisional figures revealed that in the five days from last Wednesday to Sunday, crews were called to deal with 869 flooding incidents and 85 rescues, all involving 218 people.

Mr Howell said: "Our fire control staff and operational crews have worked extremely hard over the last five days and are a credit to the service.

"We have also received excellent support from our colleagues in other fire and rescue services, the police, partner agencies and people from the communities involved.

"The rain may have eased in most areas but there is still the potential for roads to be flooded, particularly in rural areas."

He repeated calls for people never to drive through floodwater as it was almost always impossible to gauge its depth.

The floods also proved to be a busy and testing time for staff from the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

During the worst of the weather between last Wednesday and Sunday, the trust took 6,455 calls, up 552 on the usual period.

Ken Wenman, trust chief executive, said: "The past week has been extremely challenging for ambulance personnel, who have battled against the elements to deliver the right care in the right place at the right time.

"Staff in our clinical hubs were also instrumental in helping to co-ordinate staff and dispatch vehicles during the severe weather conditions."