Pictures of floods of July 2012 across west Dorset

In July 2012, Bridport, Lyme Regis and nearby villages were submerged and many people had to be rescued from homes and cars by the emergency services as torrential rain continued to rise water levels.

It was some of the worst floods the towns had seen since the 1970s as flood warnings were given for all the rivers - the Lim, Char, Simene, Asker, Brit, Mangerton and Bride.

A month’s worth of rain fell in 24 hours on July 6, leaving parts of Bridport, Lyme Regis, Beaminster, Charmouth and surrounding villages under water.

The emergency services were kept at full stretch throughout the day and into the night, battling to deal with scores of calls for help, with some residents having to be airlifted to safety and many lucky to be alive.

In Bridport, lower South Street was under several inches of water and householders and businesses on lower lying areas of the town watched anxiously as levels reached their doorsteps. Calls for sandbags went out and communities pulled together to try to prevent as much damage as possible, although many peoples saw belongings ruined and face big repair bills.

The East Road roundabout and the neighbouring petrol station were submerged and holiday traffic heading westwards on the A35 had a slow and perilous journey, inching through deep water.

West Allington, Magdalen Lane, North Mills, St Swithins Road, and North Allington were also badly affected, while people living alongside the rivers kept an anxious eye on the flood gauges, while the Asker Meadows flood plain became a lake.

The Dorset Fire and Rescue Service - as it was then known - dealt with more than 200 emergencies while police handled more than 100 incidents.

Bridport firefighters attended 35 incidents in 48 hours.

And coastguards told of three fortunate people who had a lucky escape after almost being swept away.

One young man had an incredibly lucky escape after he was swept through the sluice gate at West Bay and into the harbour.

He and a companion had been kayaking in the appalling conditions and alerted by shouts from the West Bay harbourmaster, one of the men reached the bank, but the other was tossed into the water.

READ: Swept-away trio lucky to be alive

He went through the sluice gate, and shot straight across the harbour and just managed to grab a rope and pull himself out before being washed out to sea.

Council staff were also on hand answering calls from anxious members of the public and dealing with calls for sandbags to try and stop floodwater entering homes and businesses.

A major clean-up operation followed, and businesses in Lyme Regis reported the worst flooding in living memory.

READ: Floods chaos - Lyme Regis left reeling after 'worst' flooding

Following the flooding, meetings were held with Dorset County Council and the Environment Agency to put plans in place to be better prepared in the future.

A £9 million flood defence scheme was proposed  for West Bay to protect 148 homes and 112 businesses from flooding.