Animal-lovers and emergency workers risked their lives to save much-loved pets from the rising water.

One holiday-maker, Andy Trethewy, spent two and a half hours in neck-high water to save his family's two dogs.

He held one dog, Boycey, against the ceiling above the water and put his other pet Rafter into a floating fridge box until a fireman came to help them.

"The water rose to just below my neck and I thought 'This is it. We have had it'," said Andy, from Surrey.

"I called Rafter and he paddled over and put his legs on my shoulders.

"A fridge freezer was floating by and I put him inside."