Residents urged to stock up on sandbags and drive carefully as town set to be battered by heavy rain and gale force winds
Residents are advised to batten down the hatches and take care as gale-force winds, heavy rain and high tides are set to hit Sidmouth.
Driving conditions are already treacherous across East Devon following a night of stormy weather and the full impact is expected to hit the coastal resort tomorrow (Friday), with gusts of up to 51mph.
The Environment Agency has issued flood alerts for the Rivers Sid, Otter and Exmouth with up to 10mm of rain expected on low lying land and typically 20 to 40mm over hills and moors.
Localised flooding is expected today (Thursday) as river levels respond to further rainfall on already sodden land.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for tomorrow with heavy rain due to fall in Sidmouth throughout the day and severe gales predicted for the entire region.
Councillor Stuart Hughes said he is expecting disruption across East Devon as the storm batters the region tomorrow.
He advised people to stock up on sandbags as high water tables could cause issues for some householders and urged people to be prepared.
Herald readers have reported treacherous conditions in the town and crashing waves, with large amounts of shingle washing up onto The Esplanade.
Sandbags are available from the town council’s Woolcombe House offices in Woolcombe Lane between 9am and 1pm Monday to Friday, or out-of-hours from Cllr Hughes by calling 07725708891.
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