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Clive Bull 1am - 4am
4 December 2023, 13:49 | Updated: 4 December 2023, 14:13
Heavy rain has caused issues in parts of the South West, with several schools in Somerset and North Devon closing as access to roads has flooded.
Schools across south Somerset and North Devon have been forced to close as roads have flooded from the heavy rain, making classrooms inaccessible.
Somerset Council have said that eleven schools have now been shut due to the bad weather.
Somerset and the South West have been hit with heavy rain and a number of flood warnings with alerts currently in place.
According to the Met Office, there are currently thirteen flood warnings for the area, with a yellow warning for rain until 6pm this evening.
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Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service say they're currently attending a number of flood-related incidents across South Somerset.
Flooding has also impacted the railway lines in the South West of the country, causing a partial closure of the West England Line.
South Western Railway said heavy rain has caused flooding in the Crewkerne area and has blocked the line.
Extreme rainfall in the Crewkerne area of Somerset means fewer trains than normal can run between Exeter St Davids and Yeovil Junction.
⚠️Unfortunately the heavy rainfall we're continuing to experience has meant we've had to close part of the West of England line due to flooding.
— Network Rail Wessex (@NetworkRailWssx) December 4, 2023
❌We're urging customers not to travel between Salisbury and Exeter and please follow @SW_Help for the latest travel advice.
/1 https://t.co/4sGBc28206
The line between Axminster and Yeovil Junction is also flooded.
Railway replacement buses are in operation but may be subject to cancellations due to flooding.
All traffic is being temporarily held and stationary traffic due to accident on M5 Southbound from J25 A358 (Taunton) to J26 A38 (Wellington).
Across the country, there are thirty-seven flood warnings and 126 flood alerts.