THE landlady of a pub in East Lyng says she feels like “part of the world again” following the reopening of A361 between East Lyng and Burrowbridge.

Ann Basford, of the Rose and Crown pub, which is situated on the A361, said it is “wonderful” to see the road in full use again, after severe flooding left impassable for two and half months – and even better to see customers back in the pub.

She said: “It is wonderful news to see people come through the door, people that we haven’t seen for two months or so.

“It will certainly help us as we come up to Easter and Mother’s Day, which is coming up. It was like we were stuck in a dead end somewhere because nobody could go any further than us.

“We feel as though we are part of the world again now.”

The reopening of the road has also been welcomed by Taunton MP Jeremy Brown, who says he was “pleasantly surprised” by the condition of the road after the water had subsided.

He said: “The A361 is a significant road and its closure caused huge inconvenience to many local residents and businesses.

"It also cut off the most direct route from Taunton into the middle of Somerset with drivers being forced to take a longer route round to get to towns like Glastonbury and Street.

"I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of the road surface along the A361 when I drove on the road from Taunton to Burrowbridge.

“I had feared that it would be severely damaged and would need extensive repairs. It may need some work in the future but the road has survived the flood waters as well as could be hoped.

"Opening the A361 is an important recovery step for the Somerset Levels but it needs to be followed by further measures.

“Preventing such devastating floods in the future is clearly a crucial objective."