Climate Central predicts Minehead and the M5 could be under water by 2050

Well according to climate experts in the United States it isn't that unthinkable.

Experts at Climate Central have drawn up a map of Minehead - or what could be left of the town - in 2050.

If action isn't taken, the holiday camp could disappear under water within three decades, along with the town's hospital, supermarkets, Dunster and Blue Anchor - the red areas of the map.

And if you need to commute between Bristol and Somerset in 30 years' time, you might have to invest in a boat.

That's because a stretch of the M5 is also at risk of becoming submerged, taking with it a large area of the Somerset Levels, up to and including Creech St Michael, right to the outskirts of Taunton.

And it is feasible, according to the research, that large parts of Burnham-on-Sea, Weston-super-Mare and Bridgwater could also be sunk.

Climate Central admits the calculations that have led to fears of a nightmare scenario include "some error".

It says: "These maps incorporate big datasets, which always include some error. These maps should be regarded as screening tools to identify places that may require deeper investigation of risk."

The maps have been based on "global-scale datasets for elevation, tides and coastal flood likelihoods" and "imperfect data are used".

Somewhat comfortingly, Climate Central adds: "Our approach makes it easy to map any scenario quickly and reflects threats from permanent future sea-level rise well.

"However, the accuracy of these maps drops when assessing risks from extreme flood events.

"Our maps are not based on physical storm and flood simulations and do not take into account factors such as erosion, future changes in the frequency or intensity of storms, inland flooding, or contributions from rainfall or rivers."

But it adds: "Improved elevation data indicate far greater global threats from sea level rise and coastal flooding than previously thought, and thus greater benefits from reducing their causes."