Clear-up continues after storm sweeps across South

Dozens of flood warnings remain in place across Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight following Storm Chandra.

High winds and heavy rains caused disruption across the region on Tuesday, resulting in train delays and problems on the roads.

Dorset Council said the county was "still feeling the after-effects", and residents at at Iford Bridge Home Park near Christchurch have been told to evacuate as quickly as possible due to a risk to life from the rising River Stour.

Drivers had to be rescued from getting stuck in floodwater and, among the worst incidents, a driver died after his lorry left the road in North Gorley in the New Forest and went into a river.

A clean-up is now under way while 74 flood warnings remain in force across the region.

The A35 is closed eastbound due to flooding from Organford Lane to A351near the Bakers Arms Roundabout in Lytchett Minster.

Dorset Council said the worst affected areas "tend to be low lying or where the road runs close to a river".

A Dorset Council spokesman said its highways crews had " worked through the night", responding to about 100 incidents and dealing with over 40 road closures across the county.

"Storm Chandra brought extremely heavy rain and rapid rises in river and groundwater levels alongside already waterlogged ground," the spokesperson said.

"In some places, river levels reached, or even passed, their highest ever recorded levels, causing water to spread over adjoining land and roads."

Beaminster near Dorchester was one of the affected areas, where town councillor Craig Monks said a lack of maintenance "really catches us out".

The council said water levels were now "starting to fall slowly, but there is still major disruption, with around 30 live issues our teams are working on".

While its crews continue the clear-up and supporting affected communities, the authority advised residents to avoid driving through floodwater, follow road closure signs and keep and eye on travel updates on its website.

The local authority added that some of its waste collection services were delayed due to flooded roads.

Bus operator Damory, which provides services in and around west Dorset, including Dorchester and Weymouth, has posted on Facebook that its Pimperne depot near Blandford Forum was under water, "creating quite a strain to the services we offer".

"Drivers are struggling to get into work with the road leading into the depot (A354 closed)," the post said, explaining which services were affected.

"Apologies if we have missed anything, we have been fighting mother nature!"

Flooding has also been impacting businesses, with the Cotton Moon shop in Blandford Forum reporting that they were unable to access their premises because water levels were too high.

"The water is in the shop, but until it has gone down, we can't open the door to see what work we have to do," the shop posted on Facebook.

"With the forecast that is ahead for the next few days, it's going to be hard to know when we will be open."

Meanwhile, Isle of Wight Council said no schools had been affected by the storm but that it had handed out leaflets with advice to affected residents.

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