Torrential downpours and 65mph winds cause flooding chaos

Torrential downpours have forced a holiday park in West Sussex to be evacuated after the River Arun burst its banks. Meanwhile, train lines in southern England have been blocked by flooding and beach huts swept out to sea.

Around 180 people were rescued overnight from Medmerry Holiday Park in Littlehampton, West Sussex, as hundreds of flood warnings were issued across the country. One person showing signs of hypothermia was taken to hospital.

A further 20 people were evacuated on Tuesday morning from the Bracklesham Caravan and Boat Club, as West Sussex Country Council warned water had not yet receded and flooding “may increase throughout the day”.

In Bournemouth, 65mph winds dragged beach huts into the sea and pictures showed waves crashing into the harbourside at St Ives in Cornwall. There have also been delays to trains because of the torrential weather, which comes just days after Storm Kathleen hit the country.

Great Western Railway train lines were closed between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall, and a fallen tree between Salisbury and Westbury, in Wiltshire, caused delays.

Met Office spokesperson Andrea Bishop said there would be “unsettled” conditions across the country for the next few days.

She said: “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 twenties.”

The Met Office put a yellow weather warning for wind in place along England’s south coast until 9am on Tuesday. A yellow weather warning for Wales’s west coast was in place until 3pm on Tuesday, with “a spell of strong winds” affecting the region.

In Scotland, 20-40mm of rainfall was 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.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency had 213 flood alerts and 100 flood warnings in place in England on Monday evening. National Resources Wales had issued 13 flood warnings and 22 alerts.

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, 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.”

A business owner from Littlehampton said one area of the town has been “devastated” by flooding and that her parents, in their seventies, 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 floodwater but the situation was “very bad”, and her husband’s workshops, where he runs a classic car business, were “underwater”.

She said: “Rope Walk is devastated. My parents are in their seventies, 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.”

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 has 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.”

Additional reporting by PA