OTTERY woke up to devastation this morning as an overnight deluge of rain, hail and snow left the town flooded and residents stranded.

OTTERY woke up to devastation this morning as an overnight deluge of rain, hail and snow left the town flooded and residents stranded.

All routes in and out of the town are closed or blocked with residents urged by The Fire Service to stay in their homes for their own safety and to allow emergency services to access the town.

Homes, shops and businesses are all counting the cost of flooding throughout the town, said to have been up to 3ft deep in parts.

Snow drifts, landslides and other damage left all routes in and out of the town impassable.

The town has been preparing for its carnival this weekend and famous Tar Barrels next week and the sight of the bonfire and newly set-up funfair under water will prove a serious concern for organisers.

Fire Rescue, Coastguard and Police have been working since the early hours of this morning to manage the chaos and evacuate stranded residents.

Susanne Reed from Devon Fire Control said it was the worst flooding she had seen in 25 years.

She added: "It has been absolute chaos, it started just after midnight when we were out rescuing people stuck in their cars in flood water.

"It got worse and worse and one crew got stuck in a 6ft [hail] drift," she said.

She said crews had been rescuing people "constantly" and she could not begin to say how many had been helped to safety.

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