FLOODS IN BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 22191, 20 November 1935, Page 11

FLOODS IN BRITAIN

LARGE AREAS UNDER WATER LANDSLIDE BLOCKS RAILWAY (British Official Wireless.) Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright RUGBY, 'November 18. As the result of almost continuous rain during the week-end, extensive floods have occurred in many parts of Britain, and the levels of several rivers are still rising to-day. Important roads in 14 counties were under water last night, but the situation improved today, when the rain ceased, although further showers are forecast. The most serious accident due to heavy rains was the dislodgment of thousands of tons of earth from the bank of a Southern Railway cutting 100 ft deep near Winclifield, in Hampshire. In consequence of the landslide a section of the line was disturbed, and an engine and 16 vans of an empty milk train travelling from London to Salisbury at 50 miles an hour were derailed. The only occupants, the driver, the fireman, and 'the guaitl, wore severely shaken, but escaped other injuries.

Heavy rains converted the valley of the ' River Medway into a vast lake from Tonbridge to Maidstone. A torrential downpour in Swanage, near Bournemouth, flooded some low-lying parts of the town to a depth of 4ft.

Continued unsettled weather is expected. In Bath more than 100 houses are flooded, and thousands of pounds’ worth of damage has been done. The cricket ground at Bath is under 4ft of water. The Medway area in Kent is seriously affected. At Maidstone rising water threatens the electricity generating station. Elsewhere along its course thousands of acres are under water. The Thames is rising and is causing anxiety to the Conservancy Board. The flow is 1,000,000 gallons a day higher than the volume which the board regards as safe. The position is due to recent rains, which over the last 10 weeks have reached nearly 13in, quite an exceptional figure. More than din have already fallen during the present month. The present flow must be compared, however, with the volume reached in 1933, which was 3,500.000 gallons a day greater.

The chairman of the board (Lord Desborough) does not anticipate a dangerous rise in the Thames level unless the weather continues bad for Jong. At a meeting of the board today ho stated that the beneficial effects of the improvement schemes carried out in recent years in the reaches above Teddingion could be dearly seen in the behaviour of the river in the present circumstances. WEATHER MODERATING (British Official Wireless.) . ' RUGBY, November 19. (Received November 20, at noon.) The weather is fair to-day with no rain, and the • anxiety caused in the flooded areas in England is in consequence to some extent relieved. Flooding is still serious, however, in many parts of the country, notably in valleys of the Medway, the Avon, and the Don. In Bath low-lying parts of the town suffered severely, and in Leicestershire find other counties several villages are still isolated.