Butlin’s in Minehead was hit by heavy rain
By Nathan Heath & Sammy Jenkins
BBC News
A seaside holiday resort has been forced to shut after heavy rain caused flooding across parts of Somerset.
The Butlin’s resort in Minehead has announced a four-day closure after the site was damaged during extreme weather conditions on Sunday.
Further yellow warnings for rain have been put in place by the Met Office for parts of the UK later this week.
Butlin’s said they were “very sorry” to anyone whose holiday had been affected and full refunds would be made.
The Met Office said heavy rain is expected for parts of north-west England and Wales, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
A Butlin’s spokesperson said: “We’ve taken the difficult decision to close due to several important venues being impacted by the weather.”
Videos show flooded high streets and roads on Sunday afternoon
Heavy rain brought “torrential downpours” across the south west of England on Sunday morning.
In a statement, Butlin’s said: “We’ve seen an exceptional amount of rainfall at our Minehead resort, resulting in a number of our venues including our pool, buffet restaurants and centre stage, as well as accommodation units closing.
“The safety of our guests and team is our top priority and the team have been working hard to clear the affected areas.”
The resort is expected to re-open from Friday.
Image source, Lisa Freegard
Muddy torrents of water were seen gushing down roads in Withycombe
A number of businesses were flooded and many roads were closed in Minehead, while Avon and Somerset Police advised against non-essential travel.
Keith Hunt, whose zero waste shop Our Precious Earth on the town’s Holloway Street was flooded during “unprecedented rain”, said he was unsure about what to do as he “couldn’t get business insurance for flooding”.
“The water’s left a mark on the walls, will have affected stock, all the perishables on the floor, paper and cardboard boxes,” he said.
“Obviously, all the flooring, is spoilt because of the amount of water that’s in there.”
He also said with his business being plastic-free, all packaging and stock is made from cardboard and paper, and has been affected.
‘Borrow money’
“It’s the loss of business as well. It’s such a crucial time. The quicker I can get it cleared up the better,” Mr Hunt continued.
“I’ll have to borrow some money to get it all completed.”
An amber weather warning for thunderstorms across parts of Devon and Somerset was in place on Sunday afternoon, with a yellow warning in other parts of south west England and South Wales.
There were widespread road closures, as well as bus and train cancellations.
Almost a month’s rain fell on Sunday at the Birds Hill rain gauge on the edge of Exmoor.
Other spots saw up to 60mm of rain fall, more than half the September average for the region of 92.45mm.
The band of rain moved eastwards throughout Sunday and cleared in the early hours of Monday.
Conditions are expected to remain “blustery at times” early this week.
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