Daniel Clark
Flooding in and around the Square in Barnstaple. Picture: Simon Ellery
- Credit: Simon Ellery
Barnstaple has been moved to the top of the priority list for flood prevention schemes in Devon in response to the ‘worst flood event’ in the last decade last summer.
The torrential rain on August 17, 2020, left parts of the town under as much as 3ft of water reported in places, while traffic came to a standstill as floodwater made the town impassable.
People from basement flats were rescued by fire crews, with several having been made temporarily homeless by the flooding, with more than 100 properties, including the town’s Queens Theatre having been damaged.