Flood fears as Pagham awaits next big storm

They have watched anxiously this week as the shoreline in front of their seafront bungalows has been battered by days of strong winds and high tides. The worrying situation has led them to urge councillors to act before the next storm sends the sea into the properties. Arun has evacuation plans ready.

The homeowners on the Pagham Beach estate watched helplessly as Monday's worst storm since 1987 washed away 25ft of their frontage.

The low-lying area is known to be at risk of flooding. A study is set to start next month into the cause of erosion before any work to shore up the frontage against the strength of the tide can take place.

But West Front Road resident John Humphery said that could be too late if there was a repeat of this week's severe weather. Yesterday saw the third day of stormy conditions as 35mph winds brought waves crashing on to the foreshore.

Mr Humphery warned the area could turn into a repeat of the emergency operations to remove homeowners from flooded properties in Selsey.

'We want something done before it gets to the same stage here as Selsey,' he said on Tuesday. 'I have owned a property here for about 15 years and lived here for 11 years. I have never been worried about sea but I am now and so are a lot of local people. The amount of damage the two tides on Monday have done is immense whether you go east or west.

'We must have lost 25ft of the beach to those two tides. All the slabs outside Pagham Yacht Club have been undermined.

'The beach has been washed away up to the concrete in front of the seats.

'The ridge of shingle we had is now disappearing. There is not much left for a further storm. Everything is disappearing towards Bognor Regis.

'We need the support of everyone to get Arun District Council down here to do something or else we are all going to lose our homes.'

The erosion has been caused because the tides have stopped depositing shingle on the West Front and East Front roads foreshore. They are instead putting it on an offshore spit. The flooding threat to the low-lying homes was revealed in the Observer last May.

Pagham Parish Council has fought to ensure the essential study is carried out as soon as possible.

An Arun spokesman said emergency plans were prepared to evacuate the residents if necessary. The council was closely monitoring the effect of the storm on Pagham's sea defences. The whole of the beach was inspected late on Tuesday after an initial inspection the previous day just before the afternoon high tide.

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