Hastings flooding: Major clean-up operation under way - pictures

Firefighters have spent the day pumping water from shops and premises and affected areas remain cordoned off, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) said.

Queen’s Square and Priory Meadow Shopping Centre is still closed, with no electricity.

Hundreds of residents also lost their electricity supply yesterday, UK Power Networks said.

Emergency services were first called to the scene early yesterday morning (Monday, January 16) after water was seen ‘gushing out of a drain’ in South Terrace. The area was then cordoned off, with scores of flats and businesses affected by the floods.

John Bownas, manager of Love Hastings Ltd, said virtually every business in Priory Meadow Shopping Centre was affected by yesterday’s flooding.

He said it was a ‘disaster waiting to happen for several years’ since the outflow pipe on the beach in front of The Carlisle was damaged and allowed to become blocked by shingle.

Mr Bownas added: "People living in South Terrace have reported being flooded several times in the past two years, and it can't be a coincidence that this ties in with when the pipe became blocked.

“That pipe is the responsibility of Southern Water, but it took until a couple of months ago to get this acknowledged and to accept that it links back to pipework running from Alexandra Park, along South Terrace, under the shopping centre, and finally down to the beach."

ESFRS said firefighters were called to the area just after 5.10am yesterday and 14 businesses and ‘numerous’ homes were affected.

A spokesperson said: “In its initial stages six pumps were in attendance along with three officers and our high volume pump. The shopping centre and both ends of South Terrace were closed at 6.23am. Crews were in dry suits evacuating numerous flats in the area.

"As of 4.40pm today (Tuesday, January 17), East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is leaving the scene of flooding in Hastings. Crews have spent the day pumping water from the affected shops and premises at Priory Meadow. The scene has now been handed back to local centre management.”

A spokesperson for UK Power Networks said: “Our engineers are on site and working to restore the remaining power supplies affected, as soon as it is safe to do so.

“For safety reasons, at 9.17am yesterday we had to turn off power supplies to 484 customers in Hastings due to flooding. Power was restored to all but 128 properties by 10.39am, a further 67 by 7.27pm yesterday and work is continuing to reconnect the remaining 23 supplies. Some customers will also be completing repairs to internal electrical wiring to restore power.

“Public safety is our top priority and once the floodwater receded our experts needed to assess any damage, where access is possible, and inspect equipment inside each customer’s property before safely restoring supplies.”

Alex Saunders, Southern Water’s head of wastewater networks, said: “We know how distressing flooding is for householders and business owners. Months of exceptional rain have left the ground waterlogged and every fresh fall of rain has no where to go – as can be seen by the number of rivers bursting their banks. We are currently helping customers across the region deal with the aftermath of flooding by cleaning properties and using specialist drying equipment.

“Our assets continued to work properly throughout the latest bout of floods and we’ve been using hundreds of tankers and pumps to reduce the risk of homes flooding internally. All agencies are working closely together to support victims and ensure resilience if further rain comes across the region.”

Hastings flooding: See photos of the town as 'water pours out of Priory Meadow' and cars become submerged

Hastings flooding: Business leader says town centre floods were 'disaster waiting to happen'