Littlehampton hit by flooding

Earlier in the day, the Environment Agency had issued a flood warning for the Rope Walk, upgraded from a previous flood alert.

As it was, both east and west sides of the River Arun in Littlehampton were affected, as waters quickly rose before noon today.

Water flooded streets and threatened to pour into businesses near the riverside, as drains struggled to cope with the rising tides.

It is the second time in less than a month that business owners and householders living by the River Arun in Littlehampton were hit by flooding, after they were last affected on December 5.

Valerie Lee, owner of Leeside B&B in Rope Walk, said in 25 and a half years in the street she had never seen such bad flooding in the area.

“We’ve never had it like this,” she said.

“If anything, December 5 was worse, though, because there wasn’t any warning.”

At around 12.30pm, icy cold winds and sleet lashed the area.

However, moments later the storms cleared and the waters, which had come close to bursting the Arun’s banks, receded.

One of the businesses to be affected by the last round of flooding was the Arun View pub.

Last time it took 11 hours of clearing the water away before it could re-open.

Paul Crease, owner and landlord, said he had seen the tide as high before but not as often as it has been in the last month.

He said: “It’s worrying because obviously we were very fortunate when the water came in last time, as we could react to it quickly. It took 11 hours of solid work to get the pub open.”

This time a number of people were prepared for the flooding with sandbags, many of them provided by Arun District Council.

One concern, though, is that the flooding will return tonight with a new tidal surge.

Updates, including a video report of the flooding, to follow.

For the full story, read the January 9 edition of the Littlehampton Gazette.

If you have been affected by flooding, please email your photos to [email protected]