Over 200 people evacuated in West Sussex amid warnings ‘flooding may increase’
The evacuations included 180 people rescued overnight from Medmerry Holiday Park in Earnley.
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Your support makes all the difference.More than 200 people have been evacuated in West Sussex after the River Arun burst its banks, amid warnings that “flooding may increase” throughout Tuesday.
The evacuations included around 180 people rescued overnight from Medmerry Holiday Park in Earnley and around 15 from Ferry Road and Rope Walk in Littlehampton, West Sussex County Council said.
One person showing signs of hypothermia was taken to hospital.
The council said evacuations of “around 20 people” were under way on Tuesday morning from Bracklesham Caravan and Boat Club.
Forecasters warned that heavy rain and strong winds would continue to batter parts of southern England, western Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland over the next few days.
West Sussex County Council said water levels “have not yet receded”, warning that “flooding may increase throughout the day”.
On Tuesday morning, it said “those who have been evacuated remain displaced”.
A refuge centre for affected residents has been set up at Wave Littlehampton leisure centre, Arun District Council said.
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said on Tuesday morning that its Littlehampton incident had been stood down.
Jim Mackay, WSFRS group manager, said the next high tide was “due around lunchtime” and would be “slightly higher than the one we’ve had the other night”.
In a video message posted on the social media platform X, he said: “The West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service received numerous calls in the early hours of this morning following flooding incidents where the River Arun burst its banks in Littlehampton.
“The Littlehampton incident has closed, the Earnley incident is just about to close down and the Bracklesham site incident should be closed within the next hour.
“We are experiencing some very high tides at the moment and the next high tide is due around lunchtime which is actually slightly higher than the one we’ve had the other night.
“Our advice to anybody stuck or trapped by floodwater is to stay on high ground and contact the emergency services by calling 999.”
A resident of Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex said flooding in the town was “scary and unprecedented”, after he stayed up until the early hours putting flood defences around his property.
Gareth Theobald, 36, told the PA news agency: “I was out the front of the building and watching the water just get higher and higher and higher, and then helping or stopping traffic going into the floodwaters, and then just watching in disbelief as the whole of Brighton Road and our multimillion-pound development was being engulfed by floodwaters.”
The industrial relations officer added: “The amount of water is scary and unprecedented and those houses opposite our development are lower-ground flats and they were all flooded under a foot or so of water.”
A business owner from Littlehampton said one area of the town has been “devastated” by flooding and that her parents, in their 70s, were evacuated from their home in the early hours of Tuesday.
Christine Coe, 54, the owner of Rita’s Diner in Rope Walk, said her premises were “luckily” untouched by the flood water but the situation was “very bad”, and her husband’s workshops, where he runs a classic car business, were “underwater”.
She told the PA news agency: “Rope Walk is devastated. My parents are in their 70s, they live just off Rope Walk, and they are both shocked and dealing with being evacuated in the early hours of the morning.
“I’ve spoken with them, they’re staying with family at the moment, but they can’t come back to their bungalow because it’s underwater.
“My husband and his business partner’s two car units are underwater at the moment, they’re just trying to get one of the cars out as the water was over the height of the car wheels, it’s very bad down here.”
In a statement, West Sussex County Council said: “At around midnight we were alerted to the first flooding incident in Littlehampton, which primarily affected Ferry Road and Rope Walk. In total, 15 people were evacuated.
“Shortly after 1am we then responded to a flooding incident at Medmerry Holiday Park, Earnley. In total around 180 people were evacuated.
“South East Coast Ambulance Service have assessed and triaged a number of people at a nearby facility, and one person showing signs of hypothermia has been taken to hospital at this time.
“Fire crews have now left both incidents, and the situation in these two areas will be closely monitored throughout the day.
“And finally, at around 6.40am crews were made aware of flooding at Bracklesham Caravan and Boat Club. Evacuations of around 20 people are under way.
“The water levels have not yet receded and those who have been evacuated remain displaced. It is also possible that the flooding may increase throughout the day.”
On Tuesday morning, Arun District Council said: “As a result of the high tide at midnight last night a major incident was declared by the fire service.
“Ferry Road caravan park where there are 42 caravans on site was flooded – a number of other properties at Rope Walk were also affected. Access down Rope Walk and to West Beach Car Park is severely restricted as it is currently impassable. Please avoid the area.
“A rest centre was set up at the Wave Littlehampton where residents were able to take refuge. The centre remains operational this morning.”
A yellow weather warning for Wales’s west coast is in place until 3pm on Tuesday, when “a spell of strong winds” will affect the region.
In Scotland, 20-40mm of rainfall is expected in some areas until 6pm on Tuesday, while a few places could see as much as 50-60mm.
Affected areas include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Aberdeen.
Further rainfall is forecast in western Scotland between 9am and 10pm on Wednesday and may cause flooding, with 20-30mm of rain expected in most places and 40-60mm on high ground.
Met Office spokesperson Andrea Bishop said there would be “unsettled” conditions across the country for the next few days.
She told the PA news agency: “It is again a windy and blustery day, especially along the southern and western coasts.
“During the second half of the week there will be a north-south split with conditions more changeable in the north with further spells of rain as showers move in from the Atlantic.
“As we go into Thursday, things do turn warmer with the potential for temperatures at some sites in the South East of England to possibly reach the late teens to 20s.”