Homeowners and businesses said they “have lost everything” as flash floods and strong winds wreaked havoc during Storm Bert over the weekend.

Hundreds of homes were flooded, roads were turned to rivers and winds of more than 80mph were recorded across the UK during the height of the storm.

The third storm of the season – Storm Conall – followed just days after on Wednesday, bringing more heavy rain, flooding and travel disruptions to parts of southern England.

Some residents and business owners have had to appeal to the public for help amid fears they will not be able to clear the devastation by Christmas.

Lynn Bridgeman, who lives in a caravan park in Taunton, Somerset, said she went through an “absolutely terrifying experience” in the early hours of Sunday when strong winds caused her awning to collapse.

Losing things that you have worked for is very hard. It's absolutely heartbreaking, to have to stand there and just rebuild again

She said: “At three o’clock in the morning, my caravan went up on one wheel and that was the most horrifying thing I have ever experienced.

“I thought the caravan was going to topple over. I literally screamed.

“When I got up in the morning, I couldn’t get out of the caravan because the awning had come down and the pole got pushed into the door.”

Ms Bridgeman, who kept her clothes, food, and electrics in the awning, said her neighbours had to cut out what was left of the canopy to get her out of the caravan.

The 53-year-old mother of three, who had already lost her home 18 months prior after deteriorating health prevented her from working, set up a GoFundMe page hoping to raise enough money to replace her lost possessions – and assist other residents of the park who have been affected by the storm.

So far, £305 has been raised out of a £12,000 target.

“I have lost everything,” Ms Bridgeman said. “I had everything in that awning, from my food to my clothes to my electrics.

“We had been preparing for the winter and it’s all gone, and all the money that we put into it.

“I just absolutely feel destroyed. Every time I open up my caravan door at the moment, I burst into tears.

“Losing things that you have worked for is very hard. It’s absolutely heartbreaking, to have to stand there and just rebuild again.”

She added: “Luckily, we are all family here in this site. This is why I did this GoFundMe – so hopefully I can not only help myself, but them too.”

In Chippenham, Wiltshire, Becky Lyons’s business flooded in the early hours of Monday, damaging equipment and stock.

The 39-year-old owner of the Pawesome Pet Shop said the water rose up to two feet and meant she was unable to get inside her shop until 2pm, when the water had come down to one foot.

She said: “There was mud and silt everywhere.

“The water was just high enough to catch everything on our bottom shelves and our freezer full of raw food.”

Ms Lyons, who has lived in the region for 18 years, said the flooding from Storm Bert was the worst she has seen so far.

“The flooding has never got that bad,” she said. “It was a perfect storm.”

Staff from the neighbouring Pasty Cove in Chippenham helped clean out the damage and also set up a GoFundMe page to help Ms Lyons absorb the financial loss from the destroyed stock and equipment, raising £280 out of a £3,000 target.

Thanks to this, the pet shop was able to reopen for business on Wednesday.

“The community support has been amazing – I think that needs shouting out”, she said.

Near Shaftesbury in Dorset, Charlotte Reynolds’ sheep sanctuary, home to 54 rescued animals, also suffered losses to Storm Bert as strong winds blew away the largest shelter and dampened £400 worth of hay bales meant for feeding the sheep.

Ms Reynolds, who founded The Smallest Flock Sheep Sanctuary in 1977, said the situation has been “stressful”.

“To me, the sheep are a family – my three sons have grown up with them and I want them to be safe and dry and well,” she said.

A fundraiser set up to fix the damage at Ms Reynold’s sanctuary already raised over £1,600 out of a £1,750 target.

“I feel relieved,” Ms Reynolds said. “Obviously as a non-profit, we fundraise to stay afloat and we can’t get what we need unless we have enough money.

“As soon as we have enough, we shall purchase a new shelter.”

Sir Keir Starmer told Parliament on Wednesday that MPs in communities affected by flooding after last weekend’s Storm Bert will receive “whatever they need”.