Hailstorm swamps small town in 6ft drifts – cars buried up to their roofs
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31 Oct 08 - A town was cut off by floodwater yesterday after torrential overnight storms - which caused 6ft high drifts of hailstones. More than 100 people were evacuated from their homes in Ottery St Mary, Devon, and 25 were airlifted to safety or rescued by firefighters. Cars were buried up to their roofs in hailstones. One pregnant woman went into labour after a car crash on the A30 and a fire engine got stuck in a 6ft drift of hailstones on the way to a rescue. Emergency services were inundated with over 150 calls from terrified people trapped in their homes and vehicles by flood water which reached 5ft high in places. More than three inches of rain and hail fell between 6pm and 8am yesterday morning. Hail stones blocked drains and caused serious flooding as more rain fell. Emergency crews also sent in jeeps and fire appliances and boats to take residents to an evacuation centre at the local hospital. One fire appliance became stuck in a 6ft drift and a farmer was reported to have lost 500 sheep in a field that was buried under several feet of hail and sleet. ‘It happened so quickly. The drains became blocked with hail and so when the snow melted it was just a deluge.’ The worst hit areas were Ottery St Mary and the surrounding villages of Awliscombe, Rockbeare and Newton. ‘One farms nearby has lost about 500 sheep which were out in fields which are now completely underwater.’ Rescue crews were hampered by the extreme weather
conditions which made the roads impassable through deep snow and
floodwater and saw one 38ft lorry stuck in a drift. |
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