BERROW’S play area was transformed into a lake as the village endured a soggy end to 2012.

The Met Office has confirmed last year was officially the wettest on record, with remarkable scenes like these becoming increasingly familiar.

Barry Kew, chairman of Berrow Parish Council, said everybody in the village was hoping for a bit of relief from the heavens in 2013.

He told the Weekly News: “Over the last couple of months everywhere has been underwater.

“I’ve lived here for nearly ten years and this is the worst I’ve known it but I’ve also been talking to people who have been here for 30 or 40 years and they say it’s the worst they can remember.

We keep thinking that the rain has gone away and then a few days later it comes back.

“Hopefully at some point we won’t see quite so much rain, especially for those businesses in the area that rely on tourism.”

Mr Kew said the £70,000 play area, which was opened two years ago, had been inaccessible as often as not over the past couple of months because of the heavy rain.

But despite reports elsewhere, Mr Kew insisted there was no threat to any of the equipment.

He said: “All the equipment is checked once a week.

“Some of the sand has washed away but it’s not going to cost any more to replace than our routine maintenance costs anyway.”