Homes and businesses in Welsh seaside village hit by deluge of heavy rain

Homes and businesses have been left damaged after more than 9cm of rain fell on a Welsh seaside village in just six hours.

Criccieth bore the brunt of the 92mm downpour as thunderstorms hit north west Wales on Friday, while many were celebrating the Platinum Jubilee.

Several houses and shops sustained damage, while roads were left impassable due to flooding.

Russell Roster, owner of Criccieth Tackle Box, said: “Carpets are sodden. What stock was on the floor is wet. Came through the flat roof at the back and tripped the electric.

“Drains were overwhelmed. Manhole covers lifted in the road. The shops next door got the same, so did a fair few houses.”

Marian Davies, 60, said she had been sunbathing in a nearby town and the downpour occurred suddenly in the 15 minutes it took her to travel to Criccieth.

“I live in Pwllheli about eight miles away and it was glorious sunshine when I left for Criccieth,” she said.

“Well, the roads were flooding from around two to three miles outside of Criccieth, initially it was raining to hard for me to leave the car.”

RNLI Criccieth Lifeboat said on Facebook: “Our thoughts are with homes and business owners impacted by today’s flooding.

“Please note that the road passing the Lifeboat Station (Lon Hen Felin) is currently closed due to the impact of today’s storm; however this does not impact our availability to launch if required.”

According to the Met Office, “a combination of an unstable atmosphere and converging surface winds, likely aided by a sea breeze” led to the development of the thunderstorms in the area.

Forecasters are predicting further storms across the UK, with heavy rain and thunder predicted for the south of England.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning from midnight until 10am on Saturday morning.

The Met Office said there is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds

It has also warned of a small chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services due to lightning strikes and flooding, as well as possible power cuts, difficult driving conditions, and road closures.

The area covered by the warning stretches from Dover to Penzance and as far north as Bath and south London.

Another weather warning is being considered for southern and central England and parts of Wales on Saturday night when more showers and thunderstorms are predicted.

However, the next bout of wet weather is expected to come after the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace.

Around 22,000 people are expected at the star-studded event which will see performances from the likes of Craig David, Alicia Keys, and Sir Rod Stewart.

Diana Ross will also close the two-and-a-half-hour show with her first live UK performance in 15 years.