Hastings flat owner hit by floods: 'My life is ruined'

Sarah Lake, who owns a flat in South Terrace, said it is the third time her property has flooded in the last year and a half.

She added no one was currently living there, as the previous occupants were in temporary accommodation after the flat was flooded two months ago.

Sarah said: “The flat flooded on June 16, 2021, then again on November 16 last year and again on Monday (January 16). It flooded up to the the upstairs first floor.

"I can’t sell the flat as no one wants it. It’s not worth anything. I have had that property for 20 years and bought it as a nest egg for my kids. Southern Water is not fixing the problem. Why is it happening so much now? My life is ruined.

"My neighbour, who lives next door, has a family and they couldn’t even get out of their flat when the road flooded. They live on the ground level.

"The water even engulfed a parked car. When we got there the water was up to the top of the car door. Before we arrived, the fire brigade said you could just about see the car roof.”

A spokesperson for Southern Water said its outfall pipe, which some people believe was to blame for Monday’s flooding, ‘was working fine the whole time’ and that the floods were a result of heavy rain falling on already waterlogged ground.

Alex Saunders, Southern Water’s head of wastewater networks, said: “We know how distressing flooding is for householders and business owners. Months of exceptional rain have left the ground waterlogged and every fresh fall of rain has no where to go – as can be seen by the number of rivers bursting their banks.

“We are currently helping customers across the region deal with the aftermath of flooding by cleaning properties and using specialist drying equipment.

“Our assets continued to work properly throughout the latest bout of floods and we’ve been using hundreds of tankers and pumps to reduce the risk of homes flooding internally.

“All agencies are working closely together to support victims and ensure resilience if further rain comes across the region.”

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