Crawley on flood alert as river levels climb
CRAWLEY was on flood watch this week as the River Mole on the town's border threatened to burst its banks.
The Civic Hall, in the town centre, was put on standby to be turned into a shelter in case residents had to be evacuated.
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WATCHING FOR RAIN: Harry Jagannath in front of The Gables nursing home with its flood defences
But at midday yesterday the Environment Agency's flood warning for the town had been downgraded to a flood alert.
As we went to press on Tuesday afternoon it was hoped this flood alert could be removed later in the day as the river's level dropped.
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Residents close to the River Mole in Ifield had watched nervously as a month's rain fell in 24 hours on Monday.
Back in December 2008, the river did break its banks and 47 elderly residents at The Gables nursing home had to be rescued.
Harry Jagannath, manager of the home on Ifield Green, explained how it now has its own flood defences around it.
He said: "Luckily the water levels have been dropping down, much to our relief.
"I put together an emergency plan with all the numbers I needed. I phoned around other nursing homes to make sure they had beds in case we needed them."
Further down the road, at White Dresses and Tiaras bridal boutique, staff were feeling relaxed about the flood alert.
Paula Miller, whose daughter Claire runs the shop, said: "I know it floods further down the road but we're on a slope here, so we're hoping any flood won't reach this end.
"If it does rain any more we'll just have to get in quickly and move all the dresses upstairs and put down sandbags."
Dog walker Christine Wheatley had water up to her thighs on Monday when she was out in Ifield.
She said: "Ifield Brook Meadow wasn't passable down by the river. Today (Tuesday) the water has dropped back down again."
West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service's command centre in Chichester received more than 200 calls between midnight and 9am on Monday, with coastal areas worst affected.
However, there were no reported injuries.
In Crawley, part of Ifield Avenue was briefly closed on Monday and Tuesday until flood water receded.
Julia Simpson, from the Environment Agency, said that residents should remain vigilant as rain is forecast for every day this week with potentially heavy rainfall at the weekend.
Crawley Borough Council was continuing to monitor the River Mole and Ifield Brook as the News went to press.
Comments
by shooter73
Wednesday, June 13 2012, 2:16PM
“You forgot urban planning and the abuse of s106 procedures in and around the Crowborough area.”
by mike_zzz
Wednesday, June 13 2012, 1:46PM
“Wow - an expert on water distribution as well as chav demographics and traffic management. Still, gives you summat else to moan about, eh?”
by shooter73
Wednesday, June 13 2012, 12:32PM
“So, let's get this straight... As of today both Ardingly and Wierwood are 100% full and Bewl is 81% full - that's 35,916 million litres of water. So it is safe to say that there is NO water shortage within a 10-mile radius of my home in Forest Row. The garden is sodden and the stream at the bottom of the road is close to bursting its banks. And yet, by virtue of a bizarre carve up between Southern and South East Water at de-regulation, we have been lumped in with coastal Kent while our reservoirs brim over with water that would usually be flowing through our taps freely at this time of year. Meanwhile South East Water is STILL insisting we are in "drought".Who employs these jokers and how quickly can we cancel their 25-year monopoly licensing and get back to a re-nationalised water supply?”