Western Daily Press reporters battled their way through the flood waters of Gloucestershire to deliver vital aid - bought with early proceeds of its in-paper appeal - to beleaguered villagers who have been cut off for days.

Its journalists went in by canoe to a cut-off village to spread a bit of joy to those at the centre of the chaos using some of the £8,800 donated by Daily Press readers in the first few days of the appeal.

The specially prepared gift bags contained essentials such as bottled water, hygienic wipes, bin bags, fruit, paper plates and plastic cutlery as well as some treats to cheer up dampened spirits.

Transport reporter Brian Price, motoring editor Simon Harding (pictured) and photographer George Burgess visited Canterbury Leys in the town of Tewkesbury, which spent days under water since the heavens opened last Friday.

While the water on the streets has subsided since then, the Daily Press team found residents were delighted to be handed the bags of vital supplies.

Josephine Dewing, (84), and Pat King, (78), were among the first to be handed Daily Press survival kits.

Pat, who lives in a ground-floor flat on Canterbury Leys, was forced to hurriedly gather some possessions and clothing and move upstairs to the sanctuary of Mrs Dewing's flat when the floodwaters began pouring into her home.

Josephine said: "Even in war time, we never had to be given food or parcels like this. We are so grateful to the people who have paid for these bags."

Brian delivers the survival kits