Fears of a potential landslip in Ventnor have been sparked as floodwater from the town above has begun tearing through the Cascades this morning (Monday).
Over 30mm of rain has fallen in some places in the East Wight, with many roads underwater, and emergency services forced to close roads and rescue those who have become stuck in their vehicles.
Ventnor Cascades has become the latest casualty of the deluge, with water from the town above now beginning to tear up the surface of the road towards the seafront. Deep cracks can be seen forming on the surface, with high-pressure water escaping from the seams.
Additionally, manhole covers are lifting and extreme amounts of water are cascading from the face of the hill and flooding is evident on the seafront areas, with the outdoor seating area of a nearby eatery under several inches of water as drainage struggles to cope.
It’s not known as to whether a road closure will be put in place to prevent motorists from travelling on the stretch of tarmac, but vehicles are advised to avoid using the road unless absolutely necessary as the condition continues to worsen.
UPDATE @ 13:40 – The road has now been closed for assessments, investigation and repairs. Island Roads say they are currently considering alternative traffic arrangements given the traffic restrictions in place at the other end of the Esplanade/Bath Road.
UPDATE @ 20:45 – The road has now been reopened under temporary traffic lights following assessment by Island Roads.
An Island Roads spokesperson said:
“We envisage these temporary traffic lights to be in place this evening although further closures may be required in the coming days to allow further investigations and repair work to be carried out.
“We continue to work closely with our partners at Southern Water and the IW Council and will provide an update again tomorrow morning.
“Today has been an exceptionally busy time with nearly 100 calls about flooding received by our call centre by 11am. As of now, no other roads are closed due to flooding.”
WATCH: Ventnor Cascades begins to fall victim to the torrent of floodwater.
Hope we get this kind of rain over the festival weekend, that’ll keep the numbers down as well.
Oh no scared of covid as well as your own shadow
Oh of course a narrow minded Isländer would make that kind of comment..
Sir digby has a real problem with the festival why I wonder is it because he’s selfish or ignorant
neither, sorry to burst your bubble.
The contractor will poor tar in the cracks like they always do…..
Might even pour it
Well spotted Sheila.
… is what happens when you resurface the top without looking at the foundations …
Maybe now the money island roads and the council get / waste on things like resurfacing back street roads when other parts of the island is falling apart will be used to prioritise for use in other areas
Don’t let island roads at it or it will definitely slip into sea