A major incident was declared across Suffolk yesterday due to heavy downpours from Storm Babet sweeping through the county.
Suffolk County Council asked residents to travel only if it is essential after the storm caused significant disruption across the region, with schools forced to shut and roads left impassable.
A Met Office yellow weather warning was put in place for the entire county until 6am today.
Red flood alerts were issued for a number of Suffolk rivers, while firefighters were called out to deal with a string of flooding incidents.
One of the worst-affected towns was Needham Market, which saw several homes flooded in the early hours of the day.
Charlotte Burch, who lives in Foxglove Avenue, said she discovered water streaming into her house at about 3am.
Residents were spotted desperately trying to unblock drains in the town throughout the day to clear the standing water.
Framlingham was another place that was severely affected by the torrential rain.
A number of vehicles in the Elms Road car park were left almost completely submerged by mid-afternoon, while a nearby nursing home also reported water reaching as high as the ground floor windows inside.
Framlingham Post Office in Bridge Street was flooded.
Roger Tripp, postmaster at Framlingham, said the water rose outside the building at about 12pm. He put out sandbags but said: "The water came up so quickly."
Speaking after the major incident was declared, Jon Lacey, Suffolk’s chief fire officer, said: “The continuous heavy rainfall across Suffolk is causing severe flooding in several locations, but is also making driving conditions more dangerous for everyone.
“We are therefore asking people to travel only where it is absolutely essential – for example collecting a child from school, accessing medical treatment or returning home from work. Reducing non-essential travel means more people stay safe, and pressure on the emergency services is reduced.
“Although the Suffolk Resilience Forum will continue to do all it can to help protect our county, everyone needs to take precautions to ensure they do not put themselves in danger.”
In parts of Suffolk people were forced to abandon their cars due to increasing flood levels.
The Street in Earl Soham, in east Suffolk, was completely submerged underwater.
Jo Rothery, who lives in the village, said that The Street was blocked entirely due to flooding and she had never seen conditions like those yesterday.
She added: "My house is built on a terrace, and it's halfway up my drive.
"I was looking at my neighbour's house across the road, and the water was halfway up their drive, but within minutes it was in the house.
"The only way you'll get here is by drone or helicopter."
Villagers from Hundon, in west Suffolk, were unable to leave their homes due to water gushing down the country lanes.
Lower Road in the village was blocked entirely due to flooding.
The A140 The Street between Yaxley and Stonhams was also flooded on Friday morning.
The A1120 flooded both ways between B1115 Stowmarket Road and the A14 at Stowupland.
And the A11 in west Suffolk was also closed for a period of time to allow for standing water to clear from the major route.
A number of villages and towns also experienced power cuts, with hundreds of homes in east Suffolk being left without electricity.
Outages were also reported in Eye and Framlingham.
According to weather expert Dan Holley from Weatherquest, Suffolk saw some of the heaviest rainfall across East Anglia.
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