Volunteers at a community café in Swindon were shocked to be greeted by floodwater when they opened this morning. 

Big Breakfast Plus, a volunteer-led charity in Regent Circus, provides a free cooked breakfast for those in need every morning from 7:30am to 9am.

But when volunteers went in on Saturday to prepare for the morning rush, service coordinator Wayne Twitchell was met with rainwater when he opened the back doors, which rapidly spread through the café after the overnight thunderstorm. 

Wayne said: “It happened so fast, we opened the doors around 7:20 and had to shut six minutes later. I’m guessing it’s where the drains are so old but it has happened before, about a year ago.

“We still managed to give out 15 toasted sandwiches and we didn’t turn anyone away. Guests stayed to help clean up with 10 staff volunteers and within an hour it was spotless, I guess it was the perfect time for a spring clean.

“The caretaker was amazed at how quickly we managed to get it cleaned and no stock was lost this time thankfully. I was amazed with how the cooks, volunteers and guests worked as a team to clean it all within an hour.”

The café will be back open from Sunday morning as usual.