Flash flooding hits Norfolk after torrential rain

Clear-up operations are under way after torrential rain and storms overnight caused flash flooding.

Fire crews attended flooding in King's Lynn, North Wootton and Watlington, using pumps to get water out of homes.

John Linden, station manager at King's Lynn Fire and Rescue, said such incidents were becoming more common.

"We had a reading off some gauges from local farmers last night and according to them some 70mm (2.75 inches) of rain fell in 20 minutes," he said.

"Unfortunately we are seeing an increase in these extreme weather events. We seem to be getting called to more and more incidents with flooding and events like the wildfires we had last year."

Mr Linden said Watlington and parts of King's Lynn experienced extremely heavy rainfall in a 20-minute period.

"It overwhelmed all the drainage systems, that amount of rain is always going to do that. But it then started affecting low-lying areas.

"Some of those drainage systems also go out to sea and the high tide last night was at 21:50 BST, so we had a lot of things against us."

Mr Linden said they also had nowhere to pump the extra water to.

"Until the water levels recede and the rain stops we can't shift water because we just end up shifting it to another area," he said.

"In reality we are just creating a problem for someone else, so sometimes we just have to bide our time and wait for the rain to stop."

Terry Page of Hall Road in South Wootton, Norfolk said he had lived in his home for 25 years and it was the first time it had flooded.

"It [the water] was coming up out the drain, instead of going down the drain. I've never seen anything like it in my life," he said.

The owner of The Angel in Watlington, Emily Phipps, said the pub was also flooded by "a good covering of water".

Floors had been damaged, but the pub was hoping to re-open on Thursday.

"Watlington does have an issue with drainage. This is definitely the worst [flood] that we have seen," said Ms Phipps, who added this was the fifth time the pub had been damaged by water.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service attended 25 incidents of flooding.

The county's highways team received about 100 calls on Tuesday, more than double the usual volume of calls received.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning on Tuesday predicting heavy showers and thunderstorms between 11:00 and 22:00 in the region.

The forecaster also issued another yellow warning for Wednesday, starting from 13:00 and ending at 20:00.

It warned driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus.

Delays to train services were possible with some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes probable.

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