HOMES and businesses were flooded for the second time in a month yesterday as downpours hit the Malmesbury area.

Several properties in the town were affected as was the Radnor Arms in Corston. Villages were cut off once again as roads turned into rivers and the main A429 was closed at Kingway Bridge.

Malmesbury firefighters spent the day answering calls for help, including a stranded woman at Startley, before returning to pump out homes at the town bridge and help householders salvage their belongings.

A crew from Cricklade had to pump a house at Minety after their Malmesbury colleagues found themselves dealing with a two-car crash on the A429.

Among the victims were the football club where there was nine inches of water inside the club house. Committee member Phil Exton said they had managed to get most things up on tables but were likely to lose the chillers from behind the bar.

Buildbase in Park Road was flooded, Baskerville and St John’s Street were closed and the bowls club car park was under water. Crudwell, Brinkworth, Pinkney, the Shipton Moyne road between Malmesbury and Doughton and Foxley Road, were all flooded in parts.

The flooding reached its peak at around 6pm before slowly starting to recede. More heavy rain is expected this afternoon.