Winchester residents forced to evacuate after flood (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Winchester residents forced to evacuate after flood

11:08am Thursday 18th October 2012 in News

Winchester residents forced to evacuate after flood

Winchester residents were forced to evacuate homes after a thunderstorm last night (Oct 17) The ground-floor residents of a block of flats in Hyde Street had to leave when their homes were flooded at around 6.30pm.

Sovereign Kingfisher Housing Association owns the flats and paid for some of the tenants to stay at the Holiday Inn in Morn Hill overnight.

Four flats were evacuated with some tenants choosing to stay with friends.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said it was a terrifying experience.

He said: “I'm told a great load of water came down Victoria Lane. I didn't really know what the problem was until we were told not to open the back door because the water was 4ft high.

“It was horrible and very scary and I thought I would be safer if I went to stay with a friend.”

A spokesman for Sovereign Kingfisher said: “Our initial concern was for the safety and welfare of our residents, and we are arranging accommodation for the coming days until their homes are habitable again.

“Our surveyor is currently on site assessing the extent of the damage. We have organised for gulleys to be cleared and for the basement and lift shaft to have the water pumped out in order to assess whether the lift and other electrics has been affected by the flood.

“We understand that there is no sitting water in the flats and we are bringing in dehumidifiers to dry them out.”

One appliance and one special equipment unit from Winchester Fire Station used a special pump to remove the water and were on the scene until about 9pm.