Villagers endure 51 consecutive days of rain

Scott Ellis,Liscombeand
Chris Lockyer,Somerset
News imageBBC A bald man with black glasses stands in a pub, looking at the camera with a neutral expression. He is wearing a black t-shirt. There is a bar in the background with two people working.BBC
Landlord Darren Ninnis says the constant rain has affected business at the Anchor Inn in Exebridge

A weather station on Exmoor has recorded more than 50 consecutive days of rainfall.

Liscombe, in Somerset, has become the latest place to mark the milestone, after Cardinham in Cornwall.

The Met Office says 381.4mm of rainfall has been recorded during this period, with the average rainfall in January being 155.94mm.

In the village of Exebridge, south of Liscombe, Darren Ninnis, the landlord of the Anchor Inn, said everyone had "had enough" of the weather.

Ninnis said the deluge had "slowed business".

"People don't want to come out when it's windy and rainy, at night especially.

"We just need some sunshine - get my beer garden going again, hopefully next month, and let's get back to normal a bit," he added.

News imageA woman stands in a field smiling at the camera, holding a Jack Russell dog. She's wearing a purple rain coat and red glasses. The dog has a blue harness on. On the right is a is flowing river.
Carol Stoyle said the weather had been "awful" in Exebridge

Dog walker Carol Stoyle said the constant downpours had been "depressing".

"You wake up and it's raining, you go to bed and it's raining, the dog gets soaked.

"Where are the nice, crisp, cold winter days which I think we all like? I mean this is just awful," she added.

News imageA brown, fast-flowing river. There are flowers on a grass-covered river bank in the foreground. There are trees and a field on the other side of the river.
The River Exe in the village of Exebridge which has experienced 51 days of consecutive rain

Despite the rain, the village has not experienced flooding.

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: "Although the winds have brought frequent spells of rain, they've not contained heaps of moisture. It's not been as heavy as it can get for Exmoor."

Liscombe has seen long periods of wet weather before, with 81 consecutive days of rain recorded in 2000.

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