Colchester is on flood alert being hit by a deluge of rain.

Twice as much rainfall has fallen this month as last November.

Fields have been left submerged under several inches of water in Dedham, blurring the edges between land and the River Stour.

Phil Garner, a forecaster at Wetherquest, has said normal rainfall for this time of year is about 50 mms.

However, the Colchester area has this year seen rainfall in the high 80mms and low 90mms – nearly double that of November 2013.

The Boathouse restaurant, in Mill Lane, Dedham, is situated on the banks of the River Stour.

Chris Sobolewski, the general manager, says high levels of water have spilled over into nearby fields.

He said: “There’s been quite a bit of flooding.

“All the fields around us are completely covered in water, you can’t see the green of the grass anymore – it’s quite deep.

“We are just yards from the banks of the river, so it is just a few yards away from getting into the restaurant.

“We have had about three booking cancellations. It has cost us a little bit of money, as we don’t have much chance of filling those gaps.

“There’s not much we can do about it, really. It all depends on if we are going to have more rain. If not, the water should hopefully drop.

“We are just hoping for no more rain.”

Flood alerts issued by the Environment Agency over the weekend remain in place for the River Colne, from Great Yeldham to Colchester, and another for the River Stour, from Sudbury to Manningtree.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: “November has been wetter than usual. This has resulted in river levels being high with water over flood plains in places.

“There is a flood alert in place higher up the River Stour, from Sudbury to Manningtree, so we could see levels around Dedham rising to flood alert as water moves through the system.

“Flood alerts mean flooding of low-lying land and roads should be expected, but we are not expecting any property to be affected.”