The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
'ONCE IN 70 YEARS'
■ Torrential downpour brings chaos to city centre as MP demands action ■ Homeowners urged to contact council as flood investigation launched
Torrential rain that left many parts of Peterborough severly flooded - including Bourges Boulevard, the main route through the city centre - was a ‘once in 70 years event’ Anglian Water have said.
On Friday evening (July 9) major disruption was caused by the wet weather, with cars and even an ambulance left stranded in flood water.
There has been issues with flooding on Bourges Boulevard when heavy rain hits the city for a number of years, but Anglian Water said Friday’s weather was even worse than normal.
A spokesman said; “Due to extreme rainfall on Friday which is showing as a one in 70 year event, Bourges Boulevard in Peterborough became overwhelmed with surface water which caused flooding within the area.
“Flooding is often an extremely complex issue with many different owners for the drainage network such as Highways, local councils and even private owners, as well as ourselves.
“When we have periods of intense rainfall, it can cause standing water to build up on hard surfaces because it can’t drain away fast enough.
“Surface water flooding like this, is a bit like a bath plughole and it takes time for the water to drain away.”
When asked what had been done - or what was planned to be done - to prevent Bourges Boulevard flooding again in the future, the spokesman said: “We have been working closely with the local council during the last year and have carried out extensive investigations and cleaning throughout our sewers in the area to ensure they are working as they should.”
Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue were called to incidents related to flooding across the city during Friday night and a major incident was declared in the city.
In a statement Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue said: “On Friday (July 9) shortly after 6pm, our Combined Fire Control began receiving calls to reports of flooding in and around the Peterborough area, following heavy rainfall.
“Our crews were sent to a number of incidents across the city, particularly in the Welland Estate area, Bourges Boulevard and Kimbolton Court which were affected by the flash floods.
“A major incident was declared and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Resilience Forum partners worked closely to manage the situation and assist residents who needed support to find alternative accommodation.
“During the course of the evening our fire control took over 160 calls to reports of flooding. Firefighters attended a number of incidents to assist those in the worst affected areas.
“For those whose homes have been affected by flood water, advice on what to do can be found online.”
On Friday the stretch of Bourges Boulevard past Rivergate - which has flooded several times in recent years - was one of the worst hit areas, with vehicles including an ambulance seen struggling to pass.
Alison Woods, caught in the worst of it on Bourges Boulevard, posted on facebook at the time: “We’ve been stuck outside Adsa for an hour. No police. A bus driver had the sense to direct us back and we all went across the crossing. Still no police. Cars are still trying to get into town. The traffic is backed up to Fletton.”
Car Haven car park was under water too, meaning a worrying time for motorists returning to their cars.
The heavy downpours also caused flash flooding in Mayors Walk and the area around Waitrose and the volunteer fire brigade station as well as the train station and Welland estate were all affected.
The branch of Aldi at Peterborough One Retail Park was hit particularly badly on Friday night.
A video sent in to the Peterborough Telegraph showed water flooding into the store from the overflowing car park.
Work continued on beyond the shop’s normal opening time of 8am on Saturday but at around 11am, the store was able to open its doors again.
Van Hage, also at Peterborough One, was forced to close on Saturday while water was cleared.
On Friday night Goldstar Diamond Cars stepped in and offered free taxis to anyone stranded in the town centre, needing to get home within a five mile radius.
Peterborough United were also forced to cancel a Euro 2020 event at the Weston Homes Stadium that had been planned for Sunday because of damage caused by flooding.
• Advice for anyone affected by flooding can be found on the city council’s website here: https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/council/planningand-development/floodand-water-management/flooding-advice