June Floods Caused by Freak Rainfall

West Sussex County Council say that the multi-agency report into the West Sussex floods in June say that many drainage systems were 'overwhelmed' by the scale of the weather.

An estimated 780 properties were flooded this summer, with some families still homeless.

Bognor Regis and Chichester were the worst affected areas, with most of the worst weather between Worthing and the West Sussex border with Hampshire.

Over 192 per cent above average rainfall fell between April and September this year, with a staggering 400 per cent in June.
The report published today revealed that the floods of June 10th and 12th highlighted serious issues in the management of drainage systems and its infrastructure.

With most modern surface water systems designed to frequencies of 25-100 years many of the vulnerable low areas were overwhelmed by the volume of water.

West Sussex County Council Leader, Louise Goldsmith says: "Essentially it was just the sheer scale of unprecedented torrential rain that overwhelmed some of the systems maintained by the various agencies. This once in 200 years event stretched our infrastructure and the emergency services to the very limit."

"I know the report has been concentrating on the events of June, but the risk of flooding is ever present. I would urge people to be vigilant, check if they are at risk, sign-up for flood warnings, and follow the advice on our website".