A GARDEN centre in Bishopsteignton had an inch of rain water pour into its store after heavy downpours in South Devon yesterday.

Assistant manager at Jack's Patch Chris Giles said between 400 and 500 litres of rain water gushed into the store off the main road, through the car park and into the store.

Staff members manned a special vacuum that could suck up water and used mops and brushes as they fought the deluge of water which soaked the garden centre's floor.

Mr Giles said: "We had seven or eight members of staff helping to clear the water and we didn't have to close the store."

Also last night, firefighters were helping to salvage furniture and belongings from a flood-hit property in First Avenue, Dawlish. Crews managed to isolate the electrics after they were alerted at 5.30pm.

The rest of South Devon escaped unscathed from the floods, despite the several prolonged periods of heavy rain.

However, the Environment Agency has issued an alert of possible flooding today and over the weekend as heavy rain is predicted. Recent rain has made the ground so wet that the forecast rain could cause some rivers to rise quickly and put communities at risk of flooding.

Ben Johnstone of the Environment Agency said: "These bands of rain could cause problems and we would urge people who live in homes that are vulnerable to flooding to start thinking about taking precautions to protect their properties. People should also take action if they receive a flood warning and know what to do if they receive one."

Agency staff are on 24-hour alert receiving updates from the Met Office, continuously monitoring river levels.