Britain faced further flood misery today as nearly 400 areas were on alert after Storm Chandra’s record-breaking rain – with rail lines suspended until at least Friday.

A major incident was declared in Somerset following the extraordinary deluge, while the Environment Agency issued 100 flood warnings and 262 alerts across England.

Natural Resources Wales had three flood warnings and 16 alerts in place, while the Scottish Environment Protection Agency activated eight warnings and eight alerts.

National Rail said major disruption would continue until at least the end of Friday on Great Western Railway services between Exeter, Okehampton and Barnstaple in Devon due to the flooding, telling passengers: ‘You are advised not to travel.’

In Devon, a large sink hole appeared between Dawlish and Teignmouth and must now be filled – meaning the line from Exeter to Newton Abbot will shut from 7pm tonight. 

Severe weather also impacted ScotRail services between Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness today with speed restrictions imposed for safety reasons.

Brits were also told to take care on slippery paths and roads this morning with the Met Office issuing an ice warning after the rain froze on untreated surfaces.

The alert covered much of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland until 10am and warned of ‘some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces’.

Temperatures dropped overnight to -5C (23F) in the Scottish Highlands, while the low in England was -1C (30F) in Surrey. UK Health Security Agency cold health alerts for northern England run until Friday amid a ‘greater risk to life of vulnerable people’.

A 12-hour yellow rain warning was also announced for South West England tomorrow from midday to midnight, amid concerns over further rain causing more flooding.

The River Isle floods at Hambridge and Westport near Langport in Somerset this morning 

People take to boats to navigate the flooded roads in Ruishton in Somerset this morning

The River Isle floods at Hambridge and Westport near Langport in Somerset this morning

The Environment Agency are installing pumps to empty the moors of water in Somerset today

 Environment Agency Officials assess the flooding situation at Ruishton in Somerset today

The Environment Agency are installing pumps to empty the moors of water in Somerset today

It comes after six locations across the UK provisionally set new January daily rainfall records yesterday, with Katesbridge in Northern Ireland recording 100.8mm (4in).

In Somerset, officials warned that the risk of flooding on the Somerset Levels and Moors ‘remains high as rainwater moves through the system’.

Somerset Council revealed an estimated 50 properties have been affected by flooding across Ilminster, West Coker, Taunton, Mudford and West Camel.

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Council leader Bill Revans said: ‘The decision to declare a major incident at this stage means we are well placed to respond to this ongoing situation.

‘Storm Chandra brought more than 50mm of rain to parts of Somerset last night, on top of already saturated land, and this has caused widespread disruption.

‘Please avoid travelling if you can and never attempt to drive through flood water.

‘The weather forecast remains challenging so we will be working with colleagues in the emergency services to ensure we are prepared should the situation continue to deteriorate.’

Images taken by photographers across the UK and Ireland showed search and rescue workers in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, vehicles on flooded roads in Kent and snowfall in Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham.

Firefighters in Devon and Somerset rescued people from 25 vehicles in floodwater yesterday morning.

A spokesman for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service confirmed there were no casualties.

Ottery St Mary in Devon was badly flooded yesterday after the River Otter hit record levels

A woman carries a dog through flooding next to the B3168 at Illminster in Somerset yesterday

Flooding in the Devon town of Axminster yesterday as people were rescued from stranded cars

Flooding on the River Exe near Exeter in Devon yesterday after the rain from Storm Chandra 

In Devon, a large sink hole appeared between Dawlish and Teignmouth (pictured) and must now be filled – meaning the line from Exeter to Newton Abbot will shut from 7pm tonight

Axminster Fire Station posted images of multiple vehicles in floodwater on Facebook.

Across South West England there were multiple road closures because of flooding, which included the A30 in Devon between the B3174/B3180 junctions near Ottery St Mary and the B3184 for Exeter Airport.

The M5 southbound between Cullompton and Exeter was closed this morning because of flooding, as was the A303 in Somerset between the A3088 and A37 and the A1 south of Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland.

In Scotland, the A82 north of Spean Bridge was closed southbound because of fallen trees, while the Bridge of Orchy on the A82 was closed to high-sided vehicles.

Storm Chandra also brought disruption to other parts of the South West, the south coast, and North of England, as well as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Domestic flights were cancelled on routes serving Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heathrow, Leeds Bradford, London City, Manchester and Southampton airports yesterday.

Two severe flood warnings – meaning danger to life – were issued yesterday. One was for Ottery St Mary in Devon where the River Otter at Fenny Bridges, close to the town, reached its highest recorded level and surpassed the previous record set in December 2000.

Jackie Blackford, who lives in Ottery St Mary, told BBC Radio Devon that she could see the River Otter from her home.

She added: ‘I live on a hill overlooking part of the Otter and it’s normally quite a nice little river. At the moment, it’s a raging torrent. It is horrendous – I’ve never seen anything like it.’

The second severe flood warning affected the Upper Frome at Dorchester in Dorset. River levels at Stinsford also exceeded the highest reading at the measuring station, which was in July 2012.

In Northern Ireland, more than 10,000 properties lost power and more than 300 schools closed due to the weather yesterday. 

Storm Chandra is the latest storm to be named by the western Europe storm naming group list shared between the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Patrons and staff get snowed in at Britain’s highest pub as blizzard conditions during Storm Chandra cause havoc

Some 25 people became stuck at Britain’s highest pub after snow and ice blocked the roads leading up to it.

The Tan Hill Inn is an historic 17th century pub and hotel located 1,732ft above sea level in Richmond in the Yorkshire Dales.

The nearest town of Kirkby Stephen is 11 miles away and is only accessible through twisting single-track roads across the moors.

The roads were blocked for about seven hours, from about 8am until 3pm yesterday, which saw heavy good vehicles and wagons become stuck.

The pub has become known for guests being snowed in for days during the winter, with 19 guests trapped in there in January 2025.

People stuck at Britain’s highest pub, the Tan Hill Inn in Richmond in the Yorkshire Dales

The Tan Hill Inn is a historic 17th-century pub and hotel located 1,732ft above sea level

The roads were blocked for about seven hours, from about 8am until 3pm yesterday

Of the 25 people at the pub, 15 people were overnight guests, who paid well in advance, before the weather conditions were known.

Five were people staying in camper vans nearby and one was a woman who was travelling past the pub and was welcomed in for warm refuge.

One of the overnight guests is a six-month-old baby ‘who everyone is making a fuss over’ and is in a cosy warm room, according to pub spokesman Tony Durrant. The other four people stuck at the pub were members of staff.

Mr Durrant said: ‘The routes out were blocked by traffic, this morning, which got caught in the bad conditions.

‘Mainly HGVs, wagons, food delivery, things like, not necessarily to us, just people going about their daily stuff. They got stuck and blocked the roads.’

The pub has its own snow gritter but that was blocked from operating due to the position of one of the stuck vehicles.

Before the guests were freed, Mr Durrant added: ‘One of the 15 guests is a six-month old baby. They’re perfectly safe and in a nice warm room, not a problem.

‘Everyone is making a fuss over it. At the moment, the guests are just sitting around and having a bit of lunch. There’s no sort of organised fun as they expect to be out of there pretty soon.’