Published: February 13, 2009
Exclusive: Burnham motorist gets sinking feeling as car is lost to floods

The Burnham-On-Sea owner of this car was quite literally left with a 'sinking feeling' when his vehicle was written off during this week's floods.

Jonathan Walter told Burnham-On-Sea.com how he was forced to abandon his Citroen Picasso on Monday after it was overcome by flood water in south Somerset, as pictured here.

Jonathan said: "I'd been heading out for a birthday party during the heavy rain on Monday evening when I got into difficulty along a country lane at Mudford, near Yeovil."

"A nearby river had just burst its banks and a wall of water came towards me, stopping the car, and trapping me inside with water rising all around."

He told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "It was a frightening moment - the water was quickly rising up the doors. Fortunately, I managed to scramble free and wade to safety with the water up to my waist."

"I dialled 999 on my mobile phone, but the emergency services could do nothing to save my car."

The drama was caused by a combination of heavy rain and melting snow, which put so much pressure on the Westmoor Main Drain, which runs through Mudford, that it burst its banks, sending large quantities of water into fields and roads.

"The Half Moon pub in Mudford put me up for the night and gave me a hot meal and dry clothes, which was wonderful."

"I had nothing with me, so I was very grateful to the pub's landlords, Tony Lind and Chris Churchill, for their help."

He returned to the scene on Tuesday morning (February 10th) to see if the water had subsided - but found the scene pictured here, with the vehicle still submerged.

He told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "The vehicle has since been towed away, but it's a complete write-off. I've put in an insurance claim and am now waiting for further news."

Jonathan added: "My friends and family have been rallying around, and a special mention must go to Derek of Chelsea Farm who has loaned me a car until I get myself sorted."

Jonathan's incident came during bad weather across Somerset on Monday evening, which resulted in a busy night for emergency services.