Looking back 10 years to worst flooding Littlehampton had seen in a generation

Traders were counting the costs on Friday, December 6, 2013, after the River Arun burst its banks, causing extensive flood damage to their businesses.

Workers at the Riverside Industrial Estate, in Bridge Road, turned up to work in the morning to find water-logged machinery, a trail of silt and bins and pallets displaced by the torrents.

The flooding occurred overnight as a result of the tidal surge and all agreed it was the worst flooding they had ever seen at the industrial estate – and the worst the town had experienced in more than 30 years.

Many were surprised by the ferocity of the flooding, which was most severe in the east and north of the country. It was only CCTV footage that revealed the full extent of the flooding, with water surging in from the tide creating a whirlpool and reaching depths of more than a foot. Long-term residents said they had never seen anything like it.

The water had largely subsided by 5am, as people started to arrive, but the damage remained, including shop floors being flooded, and a full day’s trading was lost to the clear up.

Elsewhere, Rope Walk in Littlehampton had around a foot of water at Harbour View Park. Fortunately, the water did not get into the mobile homes, as they are raised off the ground, but it did get into sheds and power was lost to most homes until later in the day.