PICTURES: Heavy rain and strong winds have left a trail of devastation across the Isle of Wight tonight with damage to properties, stranded motorists and impassable roads right across the Island.
As reported earlier this evening, Tesco Extra in Ryde suffered damage to the front of the building shortly before 17:30 when around 15m of guttering fell from the building, prompting the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service to deploy an aerial ladder platform appliance to make the scene safe.
Only a few hours later, a Tesco delivery van became stuck in flood water on Harding Shute in Ashey where it was said water levels had reached around 2ft.
On the other side of Ryde, the ALP was deployed once again, this time to assist in the removal of a pub sign that has become damaged and was hanging dangerously. Fire crews were called to the junction of St John’s Road and Player Street after ‘The Swan’s Nest’ swinging sign was damaged and was left hanging in a position which could injure pedestrians or passing motorists.
The sign was removed safely and the road reopened before 21:00.
It has been a busy evening for the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, with one appliance from Newport Fire Station and the Technical Rescue Unit attending Nettlestone Hill between Pondwell and Nettlestone. It is currently unclear if they were assisting an animal in difficulty or a Ford Transit van that had become stuck in flood water prompting the road to be closed by Police.
The road remains closed this evening alongside St George’s Way in Newport and Briddlesford Road, Wootton.
Unfortunately, a number of properties have succumbed to flood water with firefighters from Ryde pumping at least one property out in The Strand, Ryde and firefighters from Bembridge have tackled flood damage in Cemetery Road, Binstead – both notorious hotspots for flooding.
Island Roads have deployed the Flood Defence Unit to Greenway in Binstead to assist in protecting properties from flooding.
A number of roads, particularly in the East Wight, have come under temporary traffic control or closure with roads such as Beapers Shute, Brading High Street, Binstead Main Road and Lushington Hill becoming impassable at times. Flood water has since died down, however Binstead Main Road remains highly flooded.
St John’s Train Station between Ryde Esplanade and Brading is completely submerged. Island Line trains are not running this evening.
View a selection of reader photographs below and a video from Island Echo regular Rob Whapham…
Brading High Street – Photo by Elisha Jarvis
The Broadway, Totland – Photo by Ashley Cooper
The Broadway, Totland – Photo by Ashley Cooper
Binstead Main Road – Photo by Rob Whapham
Binstead Main Road – Photo by Mick Harris
Kemming Road, Whitwell – Photo by Shane Thornton
Barrack Shute, Niton – Photo by Shane Thornton
Binstead Main Road (On Board) – Video by Michelle Cotton
Wroxall Flooding – Video by Nigel Dix
‘View outside our house in Chillerton, instead of a car we need a rowing boat’ – Photo by Lisa Woodward on Twitter
