Better informed is better prepared in case of floods

They went along to an information roadshow staged by the Environment Agency in one of the area's most vulnerable locations.

The flood warning information session was held in the Beach Road cafe car park for seven hours last Thursday.

About 300 people called in to the trailer, flanked by two gazebos during daylight, to find out the extent of the area's flood zone and how to be prepared if their properties were within it.

Pagham's coastal defences have been a constant source of anxiety to many residents in the past two years.

A shingle bank has grown due south of the harbour entrance to deflect the usual tidal flow out of the harbour. It is now running parallel to the shore rather than at right angles to it.

This has combined with changes in wave patterns caused by the size of the spit to make additional beach erosion more likely. The risk is increased when strong on-shore winds coincide with high spring tides.

One storm last March '“ just a few metres from the roadshow '“ saw three metres of stable beach in front of East Front Road and West Front Road washed away.

Arun District Council and its partners, such as the Environment Agency, have drawn up emergency plans if further substantial erosion takes place this winter to leave just 27 metres between the beach crest and the nearest properties.

Roger Spencer, Arun's principal coastal engineer, said the roadshow provided a chance to explain the work which had been carried out behind the scenes to bolster Pagham's sea defences and to prepare for the worst in the meantime.

Environment Agency flood incident management team leader Nigel Sell said the event had served its purpose of highlighting the need for residents whose homes could be flooded to call the Floodline on 0845 988 1188 to be automatically alerted to possible flooding.

This could offer vital hours to enable people to protect their homes and belongings. "People can take the preventative steps where necessary to reduce the impact of flooding," he said.

Gail Whitney, of the agency's flood risk awareness team, said: "A lot of people have gone away with a lot of information and thanking us for what we have done."

What do you think? Click here to send a letter or leave a comment below.

Click here to go back to Chichester news

Click here to go back to Bognor Regis news

Click here to go back to Midhurst and Petworth news

To tell us where in the world you are reading this story click on the link below to add yourself to our readers' map.

MAP