Victims of further flooding at the weekend have demanded to know why they weren't given more warning by the Environment Agency.

The River Mole burst its banks at Leatherhead on Friday evening with floods hitting roads, stables, homes, a football club and homeless centre.

But despite the fact that serious flooding was occuring upstream by mid afternoon no flood warning for the Leatherhead area was issued by the agency until hours later.

By midnight on Friday the river level had exceeded 3.1 metres, well above the highest ever recorded level in Leatherhead prior to floods on Christmas Eve.

The river on Christmas Eve reached 3.5 metres.

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Andrea Norbury, who runs a racehorse rehabilitation centre in Thorncroft Drive, said they did not get enough warning and rushed to save five ponies from stables as flood waters rose.

Ms Norbury said: "You got the flood warning and it was pretty flooded already. It was rising and rising and rising. There’s just no time when it’s coming in that quickly.

"We were trying to get ponies out and it was a nightmare."

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Straw, hay, bedding and feed were ruined again. She said: "It’s heartbreaking. I rescue horses so I have got no money at the best of times. This is taking it to another level."

Indra Starnes, 51, who was rescued by boat from her home in Thorncroft Drive on Christmas Eve, said about six inches of water entered their home this weekend.

Hayley Anyiwo, 41, whose garden in Minchin Close flooded again, said: "It was quite high by the time we got the flood warning. We knew about it anyway. It did not come inside the house this time."

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Flooding at Emlyn Lane in Leatherhead

More flooding was another devastating blow for Pitstop homeless centre, which relocated from Leatherhead Football Club’s Fetcham Grove ground after being inundated on Christmas Eve.

Gayle Scrivens, administrator at Pitstop, said: "We are not in there anyway, but it’s really frustrating. It’s not just us affected, it’s the houses around us as well.

"It’s so awful for people living in houses that are flooded out at the moment. I really don’t know how much longer it will be before we get back in Pitstop."

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Leatherhead firefighter Jay Devey said firefighters monitored flooding in Guildford Road near the pumping station and bridge over the River Mole on Friday night.

Mr Devey said: "It went across the road. It was encroaching down the road, but seemed to back off quite quickly."

Although the flood water started to recede at about midnight on Friday, he said some flooding remained there on Saturday.

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Hayley Anyiwo's garden in Minchin Close, Leatherhead

Leatherhead fire station was flooded on Christmas Eve but escaped this time around. Mr Devey said: "We were prepared because we have so many sandbags from last time." At 4.30am today the river level in Leatherhead was 1.75 metres, within the typical river level range for this location.

The Environment Agency has been asked to explain why no warning was issued earlier, but has yet to respond.

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River Mole at Mansion Gardens

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Flooded car park at Riverbridge House in Guildford Road

 


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