Nursing home evacuated as major floods hit West Sussex

FORTY-seven elderly residents of a nursing home in Crawley were rescued by firefighters after a nearby river burst its banks on Saturday evening.

By The Newsroom

Published 14th Dec 2008, 10:19 BST

Updated 8th Jun 2018, 04:12 BST

It was one of a large number of call-outs after torrential rain caused major problems throughout West Sussex, especially in the north of the county.

Water from the River Mole poured into The Gables Nursing Home, in Ifield Green, Crawley shortly before 7pm on Saturday night, flooding parts of the ground floor to a depth of 1-2 feet.

Residents were moved to a place of safety inside the building as emergency services, together with premises staff and representatives from Crawley Borough Council made plans to evacuate the residents and transport them to another nursing home in Warninglid.

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service mobilised six fire engines, their Technical Rescue Unit, and a boat crew to the scene.

For full flooding story see West Sussex Gazette December 17