THIS was the sight in the Comeytrowe Lane area of Taunton following heavy rain on Tuesday of last week.

There are fears flooding could get even worse once the nearby Orchard Grove housing development is completed.

Lynne Parker posted on Facebook: “Be careful Comeytrowe Lane area, this is sadly going to get even worse with the huge development there.”

Sarah Harris said: “We had to get the developers to come and build soil barriers with a digger before we went under!”

Marvin Nicholls wrote: “For potential buyers looking at the possibility of moving there gonna be a hard sale now.”

Orchard Grove will feature 2,000 homes along with a school, local centre and other amenities.

A spokesperson for the Orchard Grove Consortium of developers said swift action was taken after “unprecedented levels of rainfall" led to "an excess of surface water".

She added: “Measures were put in place to prevent this issue reoccurring, with barriers created to retain water within the fields and divert it safely to drain away.

“The solutions put in place have been successful, but the team is continuing to monitor the situation carefully while the weather is inclement.

“Reports were received of localised flooding on Comeytrowe Lane, which was promptly inspected.

“Some water is likely to be the result of the excess water on site that day.

“However, on inspection, it was identified that there were blockages that prevented water successfully draining away.

“The existing drains were found to be blocked; it was evident that they were already obstructed, and this was not caused by site work.

“To support the local community, the site team immediately cleared the blocked drains and swept the road.

“The issue was reported to the local authority responsible for maintaining drainage on public roads.

“Looking to the future, new attenuation basins are in the process of being created at Orchard Grove; part of the sustainable drainage planned for the new community. These are designed to naturally capture and control rainwater run-off and will significantly improve drainage in this area.”

Comeytrowe and Trull district councillor Habib Farbahi said: “The latest flooding and the overflow of drainage on to Comeytrowe Lane and the Galmington stream is testimony to the potential environmental harm for the existing residents.”