Heavy rain in an East Sussex town has caused major flooding, resulting in the evacuation of a shopping centre. The Priory Meadow shopping centre in Hastings was flooded due to deep water that had entered the centre through an entrance on Station Road. The East Sussex Fire & Rescue team is dealing with the flood while the Environment Agency has issued eight flood warnings for East and West Sussex – Hastings, Alfriston, Seaford seafront, Seaford town centre, Amberley, Arundel, Climping and Bersted.
In addition to the shopping centre, affected areas in Hastings include the seafront, town centre, and Alexandra Park. The Environment Agency has warned that Seaford seafront and town centre are also at risk of flooding. Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud revealed that the yellow rain warning covering London and the south-east will continue until the end of Sunday. He added that “fairly heavy rain, 15 to 30mm, some spots could see highs of 50 to 70mm with some strong, gusty winds” is expected.
The East Sussex Fire & Rescue team has not made any plans to evacuate homes for the time being. It is monitoring the situation and will continue to “mobilize resources as necessary.” Southern Rail reported that trains between Hastings or Eastbourne and Ashford International are running at a reduced speed due to a signalling fault caused by lightning. The train operator said it was informed of the damage to the system.
The fire service has warned people to avoid the affected areas in order to prioritize public safety. It also urged residents to move their cars from the town centre where streets had been flooded. The Environment Agency has issued the flood warnings to ensure public safety and mitigate any losses that may result from flooding
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More