COMMUNITY spirit was evident in Bridestowe on Monday evening as residents battled to keep flood waters from their doors after torrential rain hit the area.

It was all hands to the pump as the Crandford Brook rose three feet in the space of half an hour and threatened to burst its banks.

Neighbours rallied to fill sandbags and sweep out water from two village centre properties.

Riverside Stores proprietor Naomi Nardi said it was down to the villagers that her home suffered no more than mud damage.

She said: ?Thankfully all the neighbours pitched in or it could have been much more serious.

?We have never been flooded and so were not prepared for it. Someone from the borough council dropped some sandbags off on their way home from work and a local builder gave us some sand to fill them up, for which we were very grateful.?

But West Devon Borough Council has come in for some criticism for not reacting more swiftly to the situation.

One Bridestowe resident, who had his own supply of sandbags, said the council?s emergency provision seemed woefully inadequate.

?Surely the council should have a supply of ready-filled sandbags that could be brought out immediately river levels threaten flooding?? he said.

?The ward member for the council clearly had difficulty in trying to raise someone to come to the aid of villagers.?

Borough councillor for Bridestowe John Hockridge said he left a message on the authority?s emergency number which was eventually responded to: ?The emergency system always takes a while at this time of the year because people are on holiday and I was contacting them out of hours,? he said.

?Luckily the people of Bridestowe rallied around to help, which eased the situation. I can understand people?s anxiety because the river was rising quite rapidly.?

He added that he was looking to the borough council and the Environment Agency to work together to remove part of a bank downstream which would prevent a blockage and stop the risk of flooding.

Borough environmental health manager David Banks said ten local residents were given advice on the 24-hour emergency service on Monday afternoon/evening.

?It is not up to the local authority to respond initially to flooding incidents but it is the responsibility of the householders to protect their own properties,? he said.

He advised occupants to take precautions like placing sandbags at the entrances to their homes which could be purchased from the borough council.?

Mr Banks added that the emergency officer could raise other members of staff to help if necessary and indeed on Monday night an officer from the borough council visited Bridestowe at 5pm with other officers arriving in the area in the evening. The emergency services would have been alerted if it was felt necessary, he said.