FOLLOWING the recent torrential rain and roads in West Devon blocked due to flooding, Devon County Council says it did all it could to react to excess surface waters on highways. People at Lydford and Bridestowe last week had to be rescued by emergency services as drivers were trapped in their cars. In places, more than three feet of water flooded the region's roads. Severe downpours of more than one inch of rainwater have left roads flooded and streams and rivers bursting their banks in parts of West Devon. At one stage, there were five flood warnings issued across Devon and Cornwall by the Environment Agency, alerting people to the danger of waters rising and 24 flood watches. Brian George, local services officer for Devon County Council, said teams went out to unblock gulleys in areas prone to flooding to relieve water from building up on roads. They also made sure the gulleys cleared are kept free of leaves to prevent it happening again. Mr George said it would be impractical for every road to have sufficient drainage to cover such downfalls and such expense would be prohibitive, but the highways agency was doing all it could with the resouces available. He said: 'A combination of leaves blocking grills, and the sheer volume of water take its toll. The highway drains, however, are not designed to take water in cloudburst situations.' The agency bases its preparation on the rainfall of the past 50 years in the UK, but climate changes have meant such incidents are occurring on a more regular basis. Mr George advised people to notify the highways agency in an emergency situation if water is threatening their property. He said: 'Firstly, if people sense that their property is about to be prone to flooding then they need to organise sandbags. 'Secondly, if it is happening regularly, and you have not already been in contact with them before, call the Highway Agency on 0845 155 1004.'