Television gardening personality Monty Don has publicly shared a series of photographs depicting significant flooding at his rural Herefordshire residence. The Gardeners' World star posted the images to his social media followers, revealing the considerable extent of the water ingress affecting his famous Longmeadow garden.
Storm Chandra Brings Widespread Flooding
The flooding occurred following the arrival of Storm Chandra, which brought persistent and heavy rainfall across many parts of the country. Monty Don provided his latest update on the situation via Instagram on Wednesday, accompanying the photos with a characteristically philosophical caption.
"It is a little soggy today, but on the upside it is sunny and very beautiful," he wrote, maintaining his trademark optimistic outlook despite the challenging conditions.
Images Show Water Encroaching on Property
The shared photographs clearly show murky water flowing under his garden gate and spreading across the outdoor areas of his property. This visual evidence highlights how quickly flood waters can rise and impact even well-established gardens.
This recent incident follows another social media post from the previous day, where the gardening expert warned: "After a very stormy night the floods are now rising and coming into the garden and bringing with them brown, muddy water."
Increasing Frequency of Flood Events
The 70-year-old horticulturalist had previously spoken to the BBC about the growing problem of flooding at his Herefordshire home earlier this month. He explained that while flooding has always been a consideration due to his location on a flood plain, the situation has noticeably deteriorated in recent times.
"I live in Herefordshire. We live on a flood plain, so flooding has always been part of life there," Don stated. "But it's definitely got worse. It's definitely got more frequent."
He particularly noted the unpredictable nature of modern flooding events, observing: "What's so odd is it's not like we've had weeks and weeks and weeks of rain. It can be almost overnight and the waters come up."
Residents Trapped by Rising Waters
The presenter revealed that just days before sharing these latest photos, he and his wife Sarah found themselves completely trapped by the flood waters. "On Monday, for example, my wife and I couldn't get out of the house or garden. We were flooded in," he explained.
This isolation created particular concerns about vulnerable neighbours, with Don highlighting the practical difficulties that flooding creates for emergency access. "No-one could come in, no-one can go out. That's fine [but] I have a 97-year-old neighbour. If anything had happened to him, it would have been a helicopter time, I guess," he told the BBC, underscoring the serious implications beyond mere property damage.
The flooding at Monty Don's property serves as a prominent example of how extreme weather events are increasingly affecting communities across the UK, with even experienced gardeners and rural residents finding themselves challenged by rising water levels.
