Volunteers prepare to tackle floods in the future.

Residents in Feniton have rallied together to support a new flood warden scheme in response to the devastating floods in the area to ensure it is prepared for the future.

The new initiative has been well supported and has already attracted a number of volunteers to the cause.

A training session was held at St Andrews’ Church, which also marked the scheme’s official launch, and was attended by representatives from the Environment Agency and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, who were able to give help and advice.

There was also a demonstration on how to build a sandbag wall.

The new scheme has been set up by Feniton Parish Council and is being run by two co-ordinators, who already have a database of 15 volunteer flood wardens.

The village was badly affected by flooding in November, which led to a number of residents having to be evacuated from their homes.

All the wardens were issued with flood warden visibility jackets. They will be continuing to monitor water run-off from fields in the village.

To prepare for any future flood situations an emergency box with a small first aid kit, space blankets and blankets will be available at the Sports and Social Club.

A community flood plan has also been produced, which has been passed onto the Environment Agency.

At present, the co-ordinators have to rely on email warnings sent by the Met Office. A text message is sent to all the wardens alerting them of potential flooding, they then follow a flow chart with instructions of what needs to be done to protect the vulnerable and clear surface water drains.

Funding is being sought for a rain intensity alarm for Feniton which will be linked to a central computer and send out an alert when there is a risk of flooding in the village.

Anyone interested in becoming a flood warden is urged to email floodwardens@gmail.com