Longleat reopens, as the recovery effort continues after Storm Bert
The message for those travelling on the trains is to only do so if you really have to
Last updated 25th Nov 2024
The effects of Storm Bert continue to be felt across the West Country - following strong winds and heavy rainfall over the weekend.
Earlier this morning, Swindon's Great Western Railway urged passengers to not attempt to travel on ANY ROUTE because of fallen trees and flooding - but now are urging people to check before travelling, as some routes have been reinstated.
Tickets will be valid tomorrow and Wednesday, however.
Around half a dozen 'act now' flood warnings are in place, including in South Marston, Chippenham, Trowbridge and Melksham - the latest of which you can find on the Environment Agency website.
Both Chippenham Register Office and the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre were unable to open this morning due to the heavy rainfall, with no timeframe on reopening.
Meanwhile, an indoor skatepark in Malmesbury has also been forced to close after finding itself underwater.
Matt Wigley, from the skatepark, and says the water has caused a lot of damage.
"We've got leaves everywhere and kind of rubble and things like that. Our wooden ramps are absolutely soaked, and will need to be completely replaced," he told us.
"We are not sure how we're going to get it out yet and get it dry, but we've got a good team of community supporters, a good team of skateboarders. They're all planning on meeting me down here later today and we'll get it done."
Wiltshire's Longleat Wildlife Park is back open after a weekend of destruction.
The recovery effort's well underway after the Festival of Light was cancelled on Saturday and Sunday for safety reasons - with pictures showing a number of their lanterns toppling over.
Head of Operations, Scott Ashman, told us: "Everyone's worked so incredibly hard to put on the Festival of Light, but I'm incredibly proud how everyone's reacted over the weekend.
"Teams have been working super hard behind the scenes, and those arriving today will have been seeing us all trying to tidy up the site ahead of this evening's events.
"We've got a full-time animal team on-site, and luckily, for them over the storm over the weekend, they've been absolutely fine.
"We've had no disruption to any animals and they've been acting as they would on a normal day.
"Many of them have been taking the opportunity this weekend to have an extended period of rest!"
Over in Yate in South Gloucestershire, more than a hundred homes have been impacted by rising floodwater, as rivers continued to burst their banks overnight.
Slimbridge Close was one of the worst hit areas, with locals there telling us how they brought out the sandbags.
Luke, who lives there, said: "We've had lots of rain before, but the water levels has never been anything like this."
One of his neighbours, Angela, told us: "Last night, the water came in really quickly. My friend rang me and told me it was up to her knees - but then later said the water had almost come into her house... and she lives on a bit of a hill.
"I've lived here for most of my life, and I've never known it to be like this."
Around 350,000 homes in England lost power during the storm, though most have since been reconnected.
More than 300 flights set to depart from UK airports were cancelled during Storm Bert, aviation analytics firm Cirium said.
Some areas saw in excess of 130mm of rainfall in just 24 hours on Sunday.