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City streets hit by flooding after heavy downpours

Aimee DexterCambridgeshire
Asim Mahmood A road is flooded and several cars are driving through it on either side of the road. The water has come up on to the pavement is going near people's houses either side of the road. Asim Mahmood
Cars were seen driving through large volumes of water on St Paul's Road in Peterborough after a period of heavy rain

City streets have been hit by flash flooding with a number of homes and businesses affected after heavy rain moved through the region on Thursday.

The Labour MP for Peterborough, Andrew Pakes, shared an image of a heavily waterlogged street, with fellow city councillors posting similar pictures of flooding in the St Paul's Road and the Woodcote Close area.

Reports on social media also showed some supermarkets, a library and a gym among businesses forced to shut across parts of Peterborough and Fenland.

Pakes said: "I hope the water will recede quickly but I also know some places where it has entered people's homes and businesses."

Peterborough City Council warned that "prolonged rainfall has resulted in high volumes of surface water exceeding the capacity of parts of the city's highway drainage network" and that "previous dry weather may also have contributed to the situation".

Council leader Dr Shabina Qayyum added: "We know that there has been flooding all over the city, especially in hotspots like Lincoln Road, Central Ward, St Paul's Road and Crown Street."

She told the BBC she had called for a survey of "all our gullies to see where there are any remainder blockages".

Watch: The flooding forced businesses to close on Lincoln Road

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue said it had "started to see an increase in calls around flooding following the heavy rain".

Peterborough City Council said some roads in the city were "experiencing significant surface water".

The authority urged people to take care when travelling, to avoid driving through flood water and to allow extra time for journeys.

The Met Office issued the first yellow weather warning for heavy rain and thunderstorms, which lasted from 03:00 BST on Wednesday to 22:00.

A second weather warning came into force at 06:00 on Thursday and will continue until 22:00.

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Asim Mahmood A car is parked on the side of a road which has been flooded. Large volumes of water are on the road. The water has gone on to the pavement and is near a row of houses. Asim Mahmood
Peterborough City Councillor Asim Mahmood photographed cars navigating the flooded road

The Ortongate Shopping Centre, to the west of the city, was one of the areas hit by flooding.

The Ortongate Sports Bar & Fanzone said it had to close its doors, posting CCTV footage showing the extent of flooding behind its bar.

On Facebook, it said: "Sadly the extent of the damage caused by the flooding and the continuous rain means it is unsafe for us to open the doors to our customers today.

"Walking into the bar this morning has been devastating; ceilings coming down and water coming through non-stop.

"We are unsure when the bar will reopen; these are circumstances beyond our control and we will keep you updated."

Similarly, Ortongate Fitness said that due to an "unexpected leak" it has had to temporarily close its gym, while the Peterborough Telegraph reported that the Co-op supermarket at the centre had also shut.

SMUpix/BBC Weather Watchers A red bricked bridge goes across a pathway. Large volumes of water has caused the underpass to flood and has started to travel across grass areas either side of the path.SMUpix/BBC Weather Watchers
The heavy rain left an underpass in Werrington impassable

Cambridgeshire County Council, which runs Yaxley Library, said on Facebook that it had to close the building "due to flooding", but it had since reopened.

Similarly, the George Campbell Leisure Centre in March has partially reopened after it shut its gym and studios due to the rain, but said its pool was unaffected.

In Peterborough, police advised drivers to be "aware of road flooding on the Soke Parkway Eastbound" and to avoid the area if possible.

In the city, the Family Festival has been cancelled due to the forecast.

A spokesperson for Peterborough City Council said: "Due to the location and facilities at the athletics track, the activities cannot be held safely under cover, so we are unable to go ahead as planned."

However, the Peterborough Beer Festival has said it is still continuing to go ahead with its plans, with punters attending the event from 12:00.

John Devine/BBC A fire engine is parked across a junction in a cul-de-sac. A large amount of water is on the left next to a pavement. A yellow hose is coming from the fire engine and leading down a road. John Devine/BBC
The fire service attends a flooded street in March in Cambridgeshire on Thursday

Qayyum added that the council's Local Resilience Forum teams had gone out to affected areas to check for blocked drains, but she said any issues had been resolved and the flooding had since subsided.

"As leader of this council, I have asked that we undertake a survey of all our gullies to see where there are any remainder blockages," she continued.

"We knew that this weather was coming. We'd already put out notices to residents and throughout the day our communication team had been very proactive."

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