Cornwall floods leave motorists trapped in vehicles

Image copyrightST AUSTELL CFRS

Image captionPolperro High Street was left under nearly 4ft of water

People were trapped in vehicles and roads were closed as surface water flooding hit parts of Cornwall.

Overnight rainfall caused water to reach heights of 4ft (121cm) in some places on Sunday.

A flood alert was issued by the Environment Agency, who said the main areas of concern were the rivers Camel, Allen and Bodmin Town Leat.

The fire service advised road users to avoid attempting to drive through flood water.

Image copyrightLOOE FIRE STATION

Image captionA spokesman for the fire service said it had been a "busy day"

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service crews from Launceston, St Austell, Wadebridge and Looe were among those called out to several rescues across the county.

At least six people had to be brought to safety by water rescue teams after becoming trapped in their vehicles, they said.

Image copyrightCORNWALL FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE

Image captionWater rescue teams from Bude and Bodmin were deployed

A spokesman from the Environment Agency said all flood defences in the area were holding and no rivers had broken their banks.

He said the flooding was thought to be largely "surface water" caused by blocked drains and heavy rainfall.

Image copyrightWADEBRIDGE FIRE

Image captionThe fire service said it could take as little as 60cm of water to trap a car