STORMS BRING HAVOC

The alert was raised by police community support officer Tracey Honey who called out the fire service.

Firefighters pumped water away as the pavement and road was almost impassable near the Register Office.

Cllr Ruth O'Keeffe, who attended the scene, said: 'This was a case where the drains simply could not cope with the volume of water pouring down from all the roads higher up the hill.

'The fire crew also had problems with leaves blocking the outflow pipe when trying to pump the water away.

'As in nearby Grange Road, where several houses have in recent years been flooded during heavy rain, there is a need for extra storm drains to be added, with proper sewer connections.'

She added: 'The water in Southover Road was about a foot deep in places and people were still wading through it to get their children to school.

'Once the fire brigade arrived, the road was closed off temporarily.

'The conditions were awful to work in, with very heavy rain, strong gusts of wind and an enormous amount of leaf debris to contend with.'

An East Sussex County Council spokesman said: 'The road was blocked this week by the mass of leaves carried on the water from heavy rainfall. We also assisted the fire service to clear the gullies and drain the flooded area that same morning.'

Flood water also gathered at the bottom of School Hill, near the precinct, during the torrential rain on Tuesday and again yesterday.