Dozens of holidaymakers are being rescued from riverside caravan parks after serious flooding around Aberystwyth in West Wales.

Three people have been airlifted to safety and another 46 rescued by firefighters after a torrent of rain overnight.

Aberystwyth and Borth Coastguard rescue teams have been called out along with the Borth RNLI inshore lifeboat.

A Sea King helicopter has also been deployed and three people have been airlifted to safety.

Fire crews have rescued 35 people from the Riverside Caravan Park in Llandre, using inshore life boats.

Another 11 people have been rescued from the nearby Millhouse Caravan Park.

In the village of Talybont 25 properties have been evacuated and residents are sheltering at a local community centre and pub.

Around 5ft of water is flowing through the main street there.

Apparently numerous groups of people are surrounded by flood waters and are needing rescue. 5 Ft water

full article here

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/airlift-rescue-flooding-west-wales-063839679.html

Dear me - more echoes of 2007......

Worth noting that some of that rain will also be heading down the Severn and Wye.

The river that flooded was the Leri - and if you have never been to the area, this is more of a stream than a river!!!

I was waterskiing in the Leri / Dovey estuary just this Wednesday and know that area extremely well. The rain guage at Llangurig (up to Plynlymmon) is sited at an area that mostly discharges down the Wye (and Severn through Clywedog) although some does go down to the coastal side. (I think the guage is the one on the "Sweet Lamb" farm off the A44) For the Leri to have flooded as it did, there must have been an excessive amount of rain - especially as its catchment area is only very small. It probably didn't help that there was quite a high tide as well. The Leri empties in to the Dovey estuary at Aberleri - and as the Dovey was in flood as well, that together with the high tide gave the water nowhere to go......

I left Borth on Wednesday - having sited my caravam for the season at Borth. I had hoped to put it on the riverside park but they had no places so sited it on the hill above the village - very lucky as we are ok but feel much sympathy for those who will have lost almost everything....

The river that flooded was the Leri - and if you have never been to the area, this is more of a stream than a river!!!

I was waterskiing in the Leri / Dovey estuary just this Wednesday and know that area extremely well. The rain guage at Llangurig (up to Plynlymmon) is sited at an area that mostly discharges down the Wye (and Severn through Clywedog) although some does go down to the coastal side. (I think the guage is the one on the "Sweet Lamb" farm off the A44) For the Leri to have flooded as it did, there must have been an excessive amount of rain - especially as its catchment area is only very small. It probably didn't help that there was quite a high tide as well. The Leri empties in to the Dovey estuary at Aberleri - and as the Dovey was in flood as well, that together with the high tide gave the water nowhere to go......

I left Borth on Wednesday - having sited my caravam for the season at Borth. I had hoped to put it on the riverside park but they had no places so sited it on the hill above the village - very lucky as we are ok but feel much sympathy for those who will have lost almost everything....