A Stowmarket farmer has praised how the community pulled together at the height of Storm Babet.

Angus Hamilton, a tenant farmer, grows around 500 acres of arable crops on either side of the A150 just beyond the Magpie pub at Little Stonham.

He was among an army of people who helped to rescue children stranded in Debenham High School - where his stepson studies - during Friday’s floods.

“I went out to pick up a friend who was caught up in it and saw Debenham High School was stranded," he said.

“The village is at the bottom of a valley and all three ways in and out were blocked.

“The school is on a hill and was surrounded by deep water so there was no way out.

“It looked like the children would have to spend the night in the sports centre next door.

“A lot of parents were pretty worried and didn’t want that to happen so I was happy to do what I could to help.”

The water in places was up to three and a half feet deep making it impassable - even in places for tractors. The land was saturated, and he recorded about 71mm (or around three inches) of rain over the week.

"I know back in 1993 that was bad but this was worse than it was in 1993," he said. "It was alarming to see so much water and so quickly."

Mr Hamilton - a member of the National Farmers' Union (NFU) - drove to the school in his tractor and transported several of the children home safely.

He said: “There were many farmers out helping out at the high school and the primary school on the day and everyone was chipping in.

“I was there for a couple of hours. Some were there a fair bit longer.

“It was good to see everyone coming together to help out and to see the children getting home safely to their parents.”

People in Suffolk who suffered storm damage are asked to report it to www.suffolk.gov.uk/ReportFlood