Residents evacuated from homes and animals rescued during Leighton Buzzard floods

Residents in Waterdell, Lovent Drive, South Street, Woodman Close and Carina Drive were worst hit by the floods, with Hockliffe, Soulbury, Stoke Hammond and Great Brickhill among villages also affected.

Emergency services rescued a number of residents - and animals - from the Carina Drive and Waterdell area last night (September 22), as water invaded the ground floor of people's homes. The river level was also looking high on Bridge Street this morning.

A spokesman from Midshires Search and Rescue, said: "Our team's activity was mainly focussed around Waterdell, it was household pets, cats, and we came accross some hedgehog that was swimming in the flood water and moved them to higher ground."

An amber weather alert was issued by the Met Office this morning (September 23), as well as flood warnings for the River Ouzel and Clipstone Brook.

Water levels started to rise over the weekend, wtih sewers overflowing in Waterborne Walk, while the heavy rain culminated in homes being flooded last night.

Meanwhile, today (September 23) it has been reported that Clipstone Brook is just "centimetres" below the bridge on Meadway.

The mayor Councillor David Bligh told the LBO: "The main road that seems to be affected is Waterdell, and on Carina Drive they have sandbags and other defences.

"I took a little video clip on Meadway of the river that goes under the railway bridge. It must be just a few centimetres below the actual bridge that goes across the stream.

"There is a full Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) meeting this Thursday and I can imagine that flooding will be a significant topic on it.

"We need to come up with a way of improving this, working with the internal drainage board to find a long term solution."

Meanwhile, The Globe Inn, Linslade, was struck again by flooding.

The pub was forced to close its doors in January after heavy rain meant a temporary shutdown. It was also affected in February.

Talking about last night's rain, a Greene King spokeswoman, said: "Following the recent heavy rains and flooding in the local area, we have temporarily closed the pub sadly. Our main priority is the safety of our customers and team members and we are assessing the situation while keeping a close watch on the weather. We hope to reopen as soon as we can and apologise for any inconvenience.”

The Globe was open over the weekend and closed on Monday (today). The situation "continues to be monitored".

National Highways roads that have been affected include the A5. The road was closed on Sunday night at the Woburn Road/A5 junction at Hockliffe, while there are reports that several cars are stranded today (September 23) at the 'Flying Fox' A5 roundabout.

National Highways have been contacted for a comment.

There is expected to be more flooding tonight. The areas most at risk are: Aries Court, North Star Drive, Carina Drive, Hockcliffe Road, Capshill Avenue, Waterdell, South Street, Lovent Drive, Steppingstone Place, Billington Road and Grovebury Road in Leighton Buzzard.

Bedfordshire Police stated: "We advise everyone to avoid the area where possible and avoid putting yourself into unnecessary danger." Have you been affected by the flooding? Email: [email protected] and tell us your story.