The South West has been amongst the most flood-affected regions since 2011 and the South Hams hasn’t been spared.

Flooding in England is becoming more frequent, more intense and concentrated, according to analysis of latest Environment Agency (EA) flood alerts and warnings data.

Analysis by Round Our Way, an organisation that supports people impacted by weather extremes, shows that flood activity has accelerated sharply in recent years. Four of the five most active flood seasons since 2011 have occurred since 2019, with the 2023/24 season the most severe on record.

With a population of 89,795 there have been a total of 580 flood alerts and a total of 645.9 flood alerts and warnings per 100,000 residents in the South Hams.

The analysis also reveals that severe flood seasons are not evenly spread across the country.

Around one fifth of England’s local authorities account for nearly half of all flood alerts and warnings issued during the most severe flood seasons since 2011. A core group of flood hotspots repeatedly experiences the bulk of national flood activity.

Climate change is behind the increasing rainfall and number of floods hitting the country.

The Met Office has calculated that the decade 2015–2024 has been two per cent wetter than 1991–2020 and 10 per cent wetter than 1961–1990.

This is due to the weather warming and hotter air being able to hold more moisture.

Gemma Plumb, a Meteorologist at Weather Change, said: “In the weeks leading up to Christmas we saw a lot of flood alerts and warnings in place for parts of England. This was after a year when many parts of the country had experienced drought conditions.

“Climate change is leading to more extreme weather, including more intense rainfall.

This is because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, so when it rains, it rains more.”