MONMOUTH was hit by flooding for the second time in a week on Tuesday night, closing roads and forcing the evacuation of a dozen people from the Riverside Park on the banks of the Wye.
The 12 went either to friends or to Monmouth Leisure Centre as water threatened their homes. Emergency services were also called to rescue a driver stranded on the A466 near Brockweir as heavy rain and high winds lashed the area again.
Overmonnow School was closed and parts of Monmouth were hit by cuts in the electricity and water supplies.
Roads affected by flooding included the A466, Drybridge Street, Wonastow Road, Rocfield Road, Hadnock Road and lower Osbaston Road. There was a problem with Bigsweir Bridge and flooding was reported near the County Garage.
Tuesday night's storms were almost a repeat of last Thursday when flooding put Monmouth on the national news as Drybridge Street belied its name, with the road turning into a river and a couple of cars marooned in the water. Vauxhall fields were under water, as was the car park and Astro turf at Monmouth Comprehensive School but fortunately the new Leisure Centre escaped the floods. Pupils arriving for school on Friday morning were sent home, and both the junior and infants' schools at Osbaston were closed.
Traffic was severely disrupted as motorists battled against the elements and Gwent Police warned people to stay at home unless their journey was absolutely necessary. Journeys on foot were also difficult, with people having to wade through streams of water in some parts of the town.
On Thursday night part of the A40 outside Abergavenny was flooded and had to be coned off, as was the A40 dual carriageway slip road at Mitchel Troy. Watery Lane was flooded as was the Rockfield Road between the new housing development and the old estates. By 10.45 in the evening Drybridge Street was flooded and water had entered one of the houses. The volume of water out on the A40 dual carriageway at Raglan caused a vehicle to flip over but luckily no one was hurt.
The extreme weather continued into Friday, causing more disruption. At 7am the Fire Service were called out to rescue the driver of a vehicle struck in the middle of a flood on the Rockfield Road; by 10.30am the Rockfield Road at Drybridge House had been coned off but re-opened at 7.40 in the evening. The subway under the A40 was also flooded and the Wye had burst its banks at Redbrook, resulting in the closure of the Wye Valley Road.