Rebecca's Rambles…

The beautiful, quaint fishing village of Clovelly, situated on the North Devon coastline was totally unprepared for the devastating flash flooding that cascaded down the main cobbled street on Thursday 11th October 2012.

This privately owned village suffered extensive flooding to several of its picturesque cottages. Also severely affected by the water damage were the popular tea room owned by Bill and Pauline Legg, meaning they will not be operational over the half term October holiday.

Having been a frequent traveller to North Devon this is a great shame. Surrounding areas such as Tiverton, Holsworthy and areas of Cornwall were also affected by the deluge of rainwater.

The flash flooding caused by the private stream overflowing may need to be reassessed. This leads us to question the water structures of streams and rivers within the UK. Only eight years ago the Cornish village, Boscastle, suffered millions of pounds damage due the banks of River Valency bursting. These are becoming common occurrences causing economic and emotional devastation.
What measures can be taken to ensure these floodings do not escalate?

Those affected by the floods can seek online advice to cope with the aftermath and know what steps to implement to reduce flood damage in the future.

Useful links:

BBC video coverage

This Is North Devon article

The Guardian article

Rebecca Craft (me) photographed under Clovelly Waterfall last month.