The floods have taken their toll

[bikerdude666]

Don’t know what it’s been like everywhere else today, but here it’s been non-stop rain all day. I went out for the Mot retest at lunch time, and there were big puddles, but nothing too major, except near a ford, which was a lot deeper than normal, and roads around it had standing water.

Went out for a meal this evening and on the way back a few roads were closed, so had to go home the long way.

I went to work tonight, and my normal 30 minute journey took me 1 1/4 hours! Usual route closed at a roundabout so took the next exit, half mile along there was a queue of cars and recovery trucks. So I pulled off on to a small side road, down a hill and suddenly hit a massive standing lake on the road! Got through 2 more bad parts, going very slowly, some of the field had washed in to the road so hit that and the car bumped a lot. Then got to another bit that looked even worse. Had the choice of go through, or try and turn round on the single track road and go back through the 3 floods I’d already got through. Decided to try and press on, got about 15’, going as slow as I could, water started to get scarily close to the top of the bumper, so quickly stuck it in reverse and went back the way I’d come. By this time 1 of the previously passable floods had got a lot worse, just made it through. Eventually made it to work, and just sat down to check my emails before starting and a manager came in and said no one else from that end of the site had made it in, couldn’t have me there on my own, so sent me home!

By now the 1 route I’d managed to find to get to work, was also closed! Took me 2 hours to get home, and did around 60 miles instead of 25, zig zagging across various country lanes trying to find a clear route! Passed a few cars that had given up and stopped on the verge, and a couple abandoned in the water, passed through several more flooded bits, then sadly, the inevitable, didn’t see a river across the road until it was too late, and my front heatshield is no more... I could hear a scraping so stopped grabbed my torch, and took a look, heatshield is completely detached and scraping along the road. I couldn’t reach it to stop it scraping so had to leave it as is.

I’ve driven in much worse rain before, but never seen the roads so bad! A lot of the smaller single track lanes were actually better than the main roads. Partly because you don’t have to worry about people going the other way too fast and creating a wave over your car.

[johnnyjazz1954]

Glad you made it back ok safe and sound,

John

[planenut]

That is horrible. Well done with your efforts.

[BoroRover]

The most important thing is you are safe and sound. As if what we have had to suffer this dreadful year is not enough, 2020 is having one last swipe at you.

Diabolical

[Steamdrivenandy]

I don't think yesterday's rain was all that exceptional but it's a cumulative effect as we've had so much rain over recent weeks and the ground is full, so the rain stays on the surface and isn't soaked up.

[bikerdude666]

I was certainly glad to get home! Had a look over the car this morning, there's condensation in the headlights, so I'll take the covers off the back and get a hair dryer or something in there to try and dry it out. And the front wheel arch liners have been pulled out of place/clips broken, so I'll have to try and get some new clips to put them back in place, but apart from that all seems fine. Thankfully it stopped raining in the early hours, so a lot of the roads are now passable again. Garden is like a swamp, slabs squelching under foot as you step on them, but nothing made it inside the house, though came close to the garage door. Turns out the drain by the garage is partially blocked.

I really feel for all the people who weren't so lucky, from a lot of photos I've seen of the local area there's a lot of families who's Christmas will now be completely ruined, not being able to see family and friends, and now spending it trying to salvage what they can of their belongings.

[bendrick]

Spent 6 hours in the driving rain yesterday with dozens of other volunteers trying to stop houses being flooded in three different streets in our village with pumps, buckets, sand bags, diggers and whatever else came to hand. Took an hour in the bath to fight off the encroaching hypothermia after all that time in sodden clothing and wellies about a foot shorter than the flood water.

Afraid about 15 of the houses still flooded up to knee height, horrible stuff, a couple of OAPs had to be carried out of their flooded houses. All this after the year that's just happened as well and just on Christmas Eve.

All roads flooded cutting off the whole place except to specialised vehicles

A two day storm forecast from Boxing Day with heavy rain and 60mph winds sounds pretty ominous.

All flooded housing areas are directly below the 540 house new building site under construction that the so called professional planners declared would be no problem in regards new flood threats.

Perhaps its time the professional development and planning clowns listened to us amateurs

[trikey]

Well done, if it was only the heatshield that suffered, i'd say you did rather well.

[Mogodon]

Same 4hing happened to me yesterday going to work. Had to divert onto an unknown back road and hit a river crossing the road before I even saw it going round a bend.

Wasn't going to fast but momentory panic thinking this is going to do serious damage to my engine and/or electics.

Luckily she kept running normally and no lights popped on but noticed scraping sound from underneath and found as other poster did a heatshield hanging off.

[edwardmk]

Originally Posted by bendrick

Spent 6 hours in the driving rain yesterday with dozens of other volunteers trying to stop houses being flooded in three different streets in our village with pumps, buckets, sand bags, diggers and whatever else came to hand. Took an hour in the bath to fight off the encroaching hypothermia after all that time in sodden clothing and wellies about a foot shorter than the flood water.

Afraid about 15 of the houses still flooded up to knee height, horrible stuff, a couple of OAPs had to be carried out of their flooded houses. All this after the year that's just happened as well and just on Christmas Eve.

All roads flooded cutting off the whole place except to specialised vehicles

A two day storm forecast from Boxing Day with heavy rain and 60mph winds sounds pretty ominous.

All flooded housing areas are directly below the 540 house new building site under construction that the so called professional planners declared would be no problem in regards new flood threats.

Perhaps its time the professional development and planning clowns listened to us amateurs

Classic planning. Stick in bigger drains on the new estate and flood the old one. Then blame it on global warming.