Littlehampton flooding: sea defence fears remain despite Environment Agency action

A gaping hole in Climping’s sea defences was plugged ahead of the arrival of Storm Dennis – but flooding fears in the community will not be so easily shored up.
The Environment Agency shoring up defences at Climping Beach, West SussexThe Environment Agency shoring up defences at Climping Beach, West Sussex
The Environment Agency shoring up defences at Climping Beach, West Sussex

On Monday, February 10, the arrival of Storm Ciara saw the sea breach Climping Beach’s broken groynes and flood a large swathe of Littlehampton’s west bank, cutting off hundreds of homes and businesses.

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Edna Faria, Chairman of Rope Walk Residents' Association. Photo by Derek MartinEdna Faria, Chairman of Rope Walk Residents' Association. Photo by Derek Martin
Edna Faria, Chairman of Rope Walk Residents' Association. Photo by Derek Martin
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Ahead of the arrival of her younger brother on Saturday, the Environment Agency secured emergency funding to send diggers down to the beach to build a wall of shingle to stem the water spilling over and into farmland behind it.

Two pumps were fitted in Littlehampton Marina to reduce water levels further and Ryebank Rife was cleared of debris.

The combined effect meant rain and winds from Storm Dennis did not wreak the same havoc.

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But business owners and residents still feared that without a permanent solution, this could happen again.

Edna Faria, 64, lives in Rope Walk, Littlehampton, and is chairman of the Rope Walk Residents’ Association.

Hers was one of the 300 homes cut off when Ferry Road was flooded.

She said it was the first time in the 22 years she had lived there that something like this had happened, and that they had warned the authorities for years about the flood risk from the sea: “I think the Environment Agency was caught with its trousers down.

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“I don’t think they were expecting it to happen, but there is no way of getting away from it: it did happen. It was scary.”

She added: “If any elderly person down here had needed an ambulance, they wouldn’t get through.”

On Wednesday, a meeting was hosted by Climping Parish Council in which those affected by the floods could raise their concerns with the Environment Agency.

Among those there was Robert Boyce, who runs Littlehampton Shipyard and the Littlehampton Yacht Club.

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He said: “They had sympathy with those affected by the floods, but unless you have the floodwaters running through your house or business, unless you are cut off, you don’t really feel or understand it.”

According to Mr Boyce, his idea to install shipping containers full of shingle on Climping Beach was vetoed.

But he added that the broken groynes in Climping, which the Environment Agency said it did not have the budget to repair, may have to be removed completely due to posing a hazard to people using the beach. He said: “It would go from a 300m breach, to a 6-800m breach. We could be destroying our own flood defences.”

Previously, Arun District Council leader James Walsh called for the Government to step in and increase funding for the sea defence repairs.

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On Friday, Nick Gibb, MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, also had a meeting with the Environment Agency.

He said: “I’m pleased to say that at our meeting with the EA on Friday it was clear that the EA do have access to emergency funding to tackle the immediate emergency.

“I am establishing a series of meetings with all the key organisations to ensure we have a medium and long term plan to protect people’s homes in Climping and Rope Walk in particular.”

To have your say, email Nick Gibb at [email protected] or contact him on Facebook or Twitter.

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