The Bishop of Salisbury's wife, Sarah Stancliffe, with Chris Coombs and Steve Higginbottom, of Salisbury Commercial Services, who delivered sandbags to the Bishop's Palace in The Close.

District council workmen were out early on Friday and all through Sunday night delivering sandbags.

Senior environmental health officer Rick Wells said that by the early hours of Monday the council was satisfied it had identified and protected all the properties in the district at risk from river flooding.

"We went from Tisbury Row down the Nadder Valley to Barford St Martin, trying to stay ahead of the water, protecting properties we believed to be at risk," he said.

"It's surprising how difficult this is to do in the dark and the Nadder comes up very, very, quickly. It rose two or three inches in five minutes."

On Friday, sandbags were delivered to the parish council in Downton and the police station in Wilton for distribution and also directly to homes with a history of flooding.

Crews also went to Shrewton and Tilshead, Salisbury and Harnham, Mere, Tisbury, Chicksgrove and Teffont.In the Cathedral Close, sandbags were put down at the back of Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum and the Bishop' Palace.