‘I couldn’t get back to university for two weeks’: Exeter flooding causes major disruption

Residents and students in Exeter have been facing major challenges, particularly with public and personal transport, due to the severe flooding affecting much of Devon following a week of back-to-back storms.

Rail lines are facing ongoing closures, with students at the University of Exeter reporting difficulties commuting from their hometowns.

One student told The Exeter Tab they “couldn’t commute from my hometown into Exeter for about two weeks”.

Earlier in the week, Exeter passengers also faced disruption on the main line between Taunton and Exeter St Davids.

According to NorthDevonToday, it was closed due to deep, fast-moving floodwater at Hele, north of the city. As a result, only a “limited” number of replacement buses were able to operate.

The Exeter Tab spoke to a student who had a train booked from Exeter to Loughborough on Tuesday 27th January, which was cancelled. The student described their experience of using the trains as “awful”.

“What normally is a three and a half hour journey turned into six plus hours. Although, I do understand it is hard to find an easy solution when these bad floods happen,” they said.

@side_quest_champion

Flood warning in Exeter 😂 #fyp #news #exeter #comedy

♬ original sound – side_quest_champion

The closures come from a week of back-to-back storms that “left large sections of the regional rail network underwater, washed away track foundation, and raised concerns over the stability of bridges along the routes”.

Cornwall’s fire service is also warning drivers to take extra care as more heavy rain is expected, and fast-moving water is making routes dangerous.

The extreme weather over the past week has made driving an impossibility in some parts of Exeter. One Exeter student reported “having had some driving lessons cancelled” as their instructor “couldn’t get in”.

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The flooding has also left numerous vehicles deeply submerged, and stuck, in water. Beacon Lane, another street in Exeter, was seen to block off cars from driving past.

@exeterclubbing

Exeter Flood #exeter #exeterflood #flood #storm #fyp

♬ original sound – Exeter Clubbing🏳️‍🌈

Darts Farm, a family-run farm shop on the outskirts of Exeter, was completely cut off by floodwater last week.

George Dart, who runs the shop in Clyst St George near Topsham, had an unusual commute. He paddled a canoe through the flooded fields with his sisters and their dog, Mr Chops, to make it to work by 9am.

He told BBC Radio Devon: “The road was completely underwater. We figured that wasn’t a good enough excuse to stay home, so we dug out the canoe. My sisters and I just managed to canoe across the wetlands in time for 9am.”

@devon.live

Darts Farm have shared they had travel to work by boat this morning due to flooding on Darts Farm Road

♬ original sound – DevonLive

Devon County Council said around 50 teams were dealing with a backlog of nearly 2,900 pothole repairs.

Chris Fuoco of Network Rail revealed engineers have begun repairing damaged tracks, but bridge inspections were proving difficult.

He said: “We’ve had flooding in 25 different locations on the two Exeter branch lines. Over the weekend we saw river levels drop, but the speed of the water is still a problem.

“For those structures to reopen we need specialist divers to check the foundations. With more rain forecast, we expect river levels to rise again, which will delay inspection.”

On Friday, the UK Met Office said it had been the ninth wettest January for Devon since 1836.

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Featured image via TikTok @side_quest_chamion and @exeterclubbing