HEAVY rainfall throughout the day saw a number of dramatic rescues and severe flooding throughout Bexhill today (Saturday), which were the worst since 2001.
Combined with a high tide, Cooden Beach, Westcourt Drive and the junction of De La Warr Road and Dorset Road were left under water which caught out a number of vehicles that had to be rescued by fire crews.
Almost 40mm of rain has fallen on Bexhill in the last 24 hours bringing the main A259 and surrounding routes to a standstill.
The whole area around the Cooden Beach Hotel was waist-high in water – our photographer caught the escape of one driver whose car was lifted by the water, leaving it stranded in the flood.
The bridge on Westcourt Road was closed to traffic as the water level reached almost 3 metres but some drivers still tried to tackle the water. One neighbour said: “It’s the highest we’ve ever seen the water.”
River monitors located at Bulverhythe show the river level today reached 2.87m, which is the highest recorded for 22 years.
