Newbury's French twin town flooded

1,600 people evacuated

ONE OF Newbury's twin towns Bagnols-Sur-Cèze in the south of France has been hit by devastating flash floods.

Torrential rain caused the rivers Ceze and L'Ardeche to burst their banks on Friday causing the town and surrounding areas to flood.

A Newbury resident and member of the Twin Town Association, Moira Harkness said: "I have just heard from a Twin town friend in Bagnols that they have had dark skies and torrential rain. A campsite in Bagnols had to be evacuated, with campers seeking refuge in a school.

"Although the skies are blue today (Saturday), more storms are forecast for the area."

1,600 people have been evacuated from five campsites in the region and there are reports of one person missing.