Floods hit Huntingdonshire after extreme weather

Kimbolton High Street floods affected several businesses. Photo by Rebecca Mehew (Image: Archant)

Flooding hit homes and businesses across Huntingdonshire after torrential rain at the weekend.

Godmanchester and Kimbolton were worst affected by storms with flash flooding also reported in St Neots and Bluntisham.

Huntingdonshire District Council delivered 300 sandbags to Merton Walk in Godmanchester and a further 12 bags to West Street on Friday (August 8).

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service received more than 300 flood-related calls from across the county between 12.45pm on Friday and 8.30am today (Monday).

Flooding in Tudor Road, Godmanchester. Picture: Nigel Pauley (Image: Archant)

Anglian Water also received hundreds of calls and the Met Office released a heavy rain warning for East Anglia.

The water firm attended many incidents across the district to reduce further flood risks for affected homes and businesses.

An Anglian Water spokesman said today (Monday): “Engineers are on the ground across the region making sure our network and pumps are working as best they can. We’re also getting in touch with customers who have reported problems to us and helping in anyway we can.

“We take our responsibilities on the drainage network very seriously and are investing heavily to maintain and improve our systems to tackle problems now and in the longer term.”The council also gave advice to an Earith resident and delivered eight sandbags following heavy rain in Bluntisham.

The Saddle pub in Kimbolton had to close on Friday after rain water damaged several shops and businesses on the High Street.

Paul Kinally, Kimbolton partner at Peter Lane estate agents, said: “It’s come through our door and into the office. We have not been able to get out our office to get to our cars. Because of the curve in the road, the water was coming up about seven or eight inches by the cars and the front bumpers were starting to disappear.

“We have had a few downpours coming up to the curb in the past but I have never seen anything like this before.”

Commuters on the A428 travelling between St Neots and Cambridge were delayed by hours on Friday after the road flooded near Hardwick.

Further flooding was reported on Tudor Road in Godmanchester which was still used by traffic.

Extreme weather swept across Huntingdonshire before the arrival of ex-hurricane Bertha on Sunday.

Heavy rain and lightning storms ran through Sunday although HDC received no calls regarding further flooding.