‘Scary’ West Sussex flooding: Rescuers warn public to ‘get to high ground’ with water rising – as evacuations continue
A rescue operation is under way after “scary and unprecedented” flooding near a holiday park in West Sussex.
One person has been taken to hospital and over 200 people have been evacuated after the River Arun burst its banks in the wake of Storm Kathleen and the French-named Storm Pierrick.
Flooding in Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex. Pic: PA
A resident of Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex said flooding in the town was “scary and unprecedented”, after he stayed awake until the early hours putting flood defences around his property.
Gareth Theobald, 36, said: “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.”
He said he saw cars “driving into the floods at speed as well and getting stuck” and that “residents in the streets (were) trying to do what they can”.
Flooding in Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex. Pic: Gareth Theobald /X/PA
Pic: Gareth Theobald /X/PA
‘Get to higher ground – we are expecting water to rise’
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said on X that they had seen “severe flooding” across West Sussex, in areas like Earnley, Littlehampton and Bracklesham.
They added: “We are expecting the water levels to increase this afternoon. If you are directly affected, please get to higher ground if possible.”
A rescue operation has been launched
Around midnight, fire and rescue crews responded to flooding in Littlehampton – where 15 people were evacuated.
They were also dealing with a “severe flooding incident” at Medmerry holiday park between Bracklesham and Selsey, after being first called out at around 1am.
They urged anyone in the vicinity of the holiday park to get to high ground if they can leave their homes.
One resident shot a video of the water surrounding his chalet, saying “everything’s underwater” and describing the area as “totally flooded”.
Paul Maskell, a resident at Medmerry park, added: “I am adrift like Robinson Crusoe. It’s incredible… totally flooded out.”
Medmerry Park in Chichester flooded after the River Arun burst its banks
At least 180 people have been evacuated from the holiday park, with one person showing signs of hypothermia, according to the fire service.
They were taken to hospital and South East Coast Ambulance crews assessed a number of other people.
Chalets were left submerged
Firefighters evacuate an elderly resident near Rope Walk in Littlehampton, West Sussex. Pic: PA
Pic: PA
Then shortly before 7am, crews attended flooding at Bracklesham Caravan and Boat Club and evacuated around 20 people.
West Sussex County Council warned that flooding could worsen throughout the day and the Environment Agency advised people to stay away from “coastal paths, piers and promenades”.
The local council said: “It is also possible that the flooding may increase throughout the day. People directly affected should get to high ground if possible, unless unable to leave their residence. Otherwise, please avoid the areas to allow rescue operations to continue safely and effectively.”
The Environment Agency has said there is a low risk of coastal flooding in the area today, adding it’s likely that high tides or large waves will flood low-lying land and roads.
Weather warnings covering much of country
It comes as heavy rain and strong winds continue to batter parts of southern England, western Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland over the next few days, forecasters have said.
Several services run by South Western Railway and Great Western Railway have been cancelled or delayed this morning due to flooding.
The Met Office issued six separate yellow weather warnings spanning Monday to Wednesday morning.
A van drives through flood water on Ferry Road in Littlehampton after the River Arun burst its banks overnight. Pic: PA
Winds in the southwest of England, including Cornwall and parts of Devon, could reach speeds of up to 65mph along some stretches of the coast.
The forecaster warned the strong gusts had a “small chance” of causing power cuts and damaging buildings.
A yellow weather warning for England’s southern coast, including Southampton and Brighton, says winds are expected to reach 55mph, peaking at 65mph in some areas before easing off.
Get your local forecast from Sky News
Another yellow weather warning for Wales’ west coast has been issued between 1am and 3pm on Tuesday, when “a spell of strong winds” will affect the region with gusts reaching up to 65mph overnight.
In Scotland, up to 40mm of rainfall is expected in some areas between 1am and 6pm on Tuesday, while a few could see as much as 60mm.
Affected areas include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Aberdeen.
Further rainfall is forecast in western Scotland between 9am and 6pm on Wednesday and may cause flooding, with 15 to 25mm of rain expected to fall in most places and 40 to 50mm forecast on high ground.
The weather service warned rain and wind could disrupt rail and road travel across the country, as driving conditions worsen because of slippery road surfaces and limited visibility.
A low-pressure system, bringing the wet and windy weather, has swept in hot on the heels of Storm Kathleen.
Southern parts of the UK are being affected by Storm Pierrick, named by the French meteorological agency.
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Met Office forecast
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said that while these levels of rainfall would not be a “huge cause for concern” on their own, they will fall on “already saturated ground” which increases the risk of flooding.
“We’ll continue with very unsettled weather as we head into spring, which is usually when we start to see things settle down a little bit more,” he added.
“We’re continuing with one area of low pressure after another, which is mainly down to the fact that the jet stream is a bit further south than it would normally be at this time of year.”
The second half of the week should be a “bit drier” with warm temperatures in the south of the UK, before returning to normal over the weekend, Mr Partridge said.
He said: “It’s actually quite warm conditions for the time of year – we could see 19C or 20C across eastern and southeastern parts of the UK come Thursday and Friday.
“But the north will always stay quite unsettled.”
Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.
The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.
A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.
The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.
Pic: LNP
They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.
A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.
Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.
There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.
More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.
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Pic: LNP
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.
“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”
The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.
The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
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