THESE motorists in Wellington were forced to negotiate some sizable pools of water after another bout of heavy rain caused yet more flooding today (December 31).

Standing flood water on the Wellington relief road slowed cars down to a crawl and there was more flooding on the A38 near Willowbrook Garden Centre and at Ford Street heading out of town. Poor driving conditions have also caused problems for motorists on the M5 this afternoon. At midday, a pick-up truck overturned following an accident between junctions 20 for Clevedon and 19 for Portishead. At its height, three lanes were closed and large tailbacks stretched towards junction 18. An hour later at 1pm, one lane on the southbound carriageway between junctions 26 (Wellington) and 27 (Tiverton) was closed due to flooding. A spell of rain, heavy in places, will move east across England and Wales this afternoon, with the most persistent heavy rain likely to affect areas of high ground in western parts exposed to the very strong southwesterly winds. Tomorrow’s forecast (New Year’s Day) is a much better picture, with no rain expected and clear skies.

However, further showers are forecast for the remainder of the week.