The Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service is working to pump flood water away from properties in Alverstone tonight (Saturday).
Firefighters from Sandown are currently in attendance on Alverstone Road, near to the cycle path – a prone location to annual flooding.
The retained crew was mobilised to the rural village at 22:00, according to fire control, when it was reported that a property close to the Eastern Yar river had started to flood.
The carriageway by the bridge is currently underwater, with nearby Morton Common between Brading and Sandown also starting to severely flood. The main road is passable with extreme caution.
A flood warning was issued for the Langbridge and Alverstone areas earlier this evening stating that at around 19:00 the river would begin to overtop the earth bank near the main road bridge. The Eastern Yar will be at its highest at around midnight.
The Environment Agency’s latest warning reads:
“The water level in the Eastern Yar is very high and rising rapidly. In the last 15 hours, 35 mm of rain has been recorded at Wroxall.
“Currently, flooding is affecting land, footpaths, cycle tracks and the access track at Horringford.
Article continues below this advertisement “At Alverstone, from 19:00, the river will begin to overtop the earth bank near the main road bridge. From 20:00 onwards, the river could begin to flood property. It is possible that flooding may also affect property at Langbridge later tonight.
“The river will continue to rise until at least midnight, remaining very high for at least 4 hours after that time, and into the early hours of Sunday morning (31/01/2021).
UPDATE SUNDAY – Firefighters left the scene shortly before 02:00 this morning.
Why the obsession with rainfall in Wroxall when the eastern Yar actually runs through Whitwell?
How awful for the people there.
Sadly these occurrences will become ever more commonplace as thousands more homes are shoe horned into this Island, and the surface run off will causing flooding in places where it has rarely occurred before.
Best vote these greedy, destructive group out next given chance at the ballot box, or by FREE Postal Vote.
As controlling the weather is likely way beyond our control, ALL we can do is build less homes and keep as much land concrete free to absorb excess rain fall imo.