Volunteer mountain rescuers supported emergency teams during Storm Chandra which caused widespread travel disruption and damage across Devon on Tuesday (January 27).

Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team Tavistock was tasked by police to help an elderly couple trapped in floodwater due to heavy rain on Tuesday evening.

The West Devon team was just one of the region’s mountain search and rescue teams convened by Devon and Cornwall Police to plan for a response to incidents that might result from the imminent storm early on Tuesday.

The volunteers supported Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue which also freed people stranded in cars and homes by floodwater.

Meanwhile, Tavistock Fire Station crews Tuesday rescued two occupants stranded in their car on a flooded road, believed to be near Gulworthy.

A fire station spokesman said: “Crews in flood rescue suits managed to move the vehicle and it’s occupants out of the water, although they were a little wet and cold they were uninjured.”

The heavy rain, adding to that of the weekend’s Storm Ingrid, caused rivers to overflow and particular damage on exposed coasts.

Roads were closed, cars stranded and rail services disrupted as police warned against travel, especially in the worst hit areas of East, Exeter and Mid Devon.

Early on Tuesday some mountain rescue teams deployed under multi-agency direction to the east of Exeter as flooding incidents developed.

A Tavistock team spokesman said: “We sent our water team, comprising swift water and flood rescue technicians, to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service HQ at Clyst St George to relieve the teams that had been operational during the day.

“The multi-agency emergency response search and rescue control cell was closed at 8pm as water levels had appeared to have stabilised, and we were stood down.

“But as our water team was returning home it was tasked to attend a new incident, where two elderly persons were stranded in floodwater. However, that incident was then resolved by Police and our team was again stood down and returned to base.”

Tavistock Fire Station crews advised people against driving through floodwater as more frequent heavy rain is expected this winter: “With the constant rain at the moment please consider if you should be driving through flood water at all, as little as 300mm, around a foot of water is enough to float your vehicle.

“Give it some thought, if you take the chance are you going to be able to get out of your car if it breaks down, if water gets in, it will cut out and damage the engine.

“The cost will be expensive and even written off, in running water your vehicle could be swept away.

“Consider what is in the water when you have to get out, if there should be an open manhole under the water, debris of all shapes and sizes and many contaminants, try and get to the safety of higher ground.”