These dramatic drone images show the scale of flooding around a Somerset village following heavy rain brought by Storm Bert.

Batheaston Parish Council has now vowed to work with authorities responsible for water after the areas was hit by flooding following heavy rain at the weekend and into Monday.

A lake has formed on the edge of the village after Storm Bert caused the River Avon flood Bathampton Meadows and the village car park.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service rescued five people and two dogs trapped inside the Bathampton Mill pub on Monday, November 25 and — although on the other side of the village — Batheaston Church School was forced to close for the day after sewage spilled onto the playground.

The rainfall had caused a storm overflow to spill into the brook near the school and debris left by the flood cut off all routes for children to get to there. Floodwater did not enter the school building and it reopened on Tuesday.

Dramatic photos taken with a drone by Leigh Lewis on Tuesday show the dramatic extent of the flooding of the Avon. One van can be seen partially submerged in the car park and the footpath across Bathampton Meadows disappears into the water. Treetops poking above the water in a distinctive shape are the only indication of where the ox-bow lake normally lies.

Peter Lewis, a councillor on Batheaston Parish Council and the lead for its nature and environment working group, said: “We share the concern of our community about the recent flooding that has disrupted both Batheaston Church School and the wider village. Whilst drainage and sewer infrastructure are the responsibility of other authorities, we’re keen to work with and support the village and wider community in helping to address the broader environmental factors.

“At our next meeting, we will review how we can complement the work of the Environment Agency, B&NES Council and Wessex Water to further support the local community, in anticipation that such incidents may become more frequent in the future.”

Wessex Water said that because rainwater had inundated the sewer network, sewage could have backed up inside homes or even the school if the storm overflow had not discharged into the brook.

A spokesperson added: “Drainage systems carrying floodwater are often interconnected so we work closely with councils, who are responsible for highway drains, and others to help resolve the distressing flooding issues we’ve seen in Bath and elsewhere during the recent storms.

“The extreme weather resulted in our licensed storm overflow operating as designed, discharging mostly rainwater when sewers became overwhelmed. We’re spending £3 million every month on schemes to reduce how often this happens and plan to invest significantly more from 2025, if approved by Ofwat.”

The school’s headteacher Sally Jeffries said yesterday: “In the past we have suffered minor flooding issues, although this has not been a problem for quite some time. However, this is the second time this year that we have encountered flooding problems within the playground — the first not as serious as this weekend’s.”