Storms hit West Sussex

LARGE waves breached sea defences at Selsey during Monday's storms, and more than 30 people were rescued from a beachfront caravan park by inflatable boats as water levels rose.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Mar 2008, 16:30 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 03:33 BST

People living in nearby houses took up carpets and moved furniture to safety while they waited for sandbag reinforcements.

Coastguards, fire crews and the RNLI were called to West Sands caravan park at Selsey just after 1pm and a coastguard helicopter helped officers on the ground reach stranded people.

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Watch assistant for Solent Coastguard Steven Mann said no-one was injured at the large static caravan park.

"The sea defences were breached and there was flooding of some caravans. The water in some cases forced caravans off their standings and flooded the area quite badly," he said.

The flooding followed rough seas, gales and blustery rain. Sussex police said that a number of roads in the Selsey area were also affected and had been closed.

A spokesman for EDF Energy said 4,700 homes in West Sussex were without power by Monday evening. Extra staff had been brought in to help restore supplies as quickly and safely as possible and it was expected all would be reconnected by the end of Tuesday.

For a full round-up of the effects of the storm throughout West Sussex, see the March 12 edition of the West Sussex Gazette.

Related topics:SelseyPeopleRNLIWest Sussex GazetteEDF Energy