Swindon & Wiltshire News
Businesses hit as floods hit region
Businesses across the region have been hit after rivers burst their banks in the aftermath of Storm Henk.
Roads and rail links were closed and homes and businesses flooded in Bristol, Bath, Wiltshire and Berkshire.
The Bristol Avon burst its banks at Keynsham, Bath, Bradford on Avon, Melksham, Chippenham and Malmesbury and there was flooding around the Middle Avon at Pewsey and Salisbury while towns along the River Kennet flooded at Marlborough, Hungerford, and Newbury.
Communities away from the main waterways were not spared either – many arterial roads were closed or travel was disrupted, with the police and local councils asking people not to travel, due to groundwater flooding.
Abandoned vehicles which had submitted to the floodwaters added to the travel chaos across the region.
Rail services were also postponed or diverted between Bristol Parkway and Swindon due to flooding at Chipping Sodbury, where a £5 million, 11 million litre lagoon was dug in 2018 to alleviate flooding.
The rail line between Reading and Castle Carey in Somerset – part of the London to Penzance route – was also closed with all four tracks at Newbury Station in Berkshire were underwater on Friday morning.
“We’re very sorry for the continued disruption to our customers, it has been a very challenging week,” GWR told customers.
In Bath, authorities reported that the famous Pulteney Weir had been submerged and firemen had to rescue a man from a sinking boat.
In Bradford on Avon – the scene of devastating floods in 2013 – the town centre was closed to traffic – but not before morning commuters fought their way through the flood waters.
In Marlborough 40 residents were rescued from a riverside complex of private retirement homes at Town Mill. They were evacuated to the Town Hall and local businesses rallied around to provide hot drinks and food.
This photograph, posted to Facebook by Marlborough Town Council, shows Town Mill at the far end of floodwaters which reached far from the river bank. London Road – part of the main route between the South coast ports and the M4 – was also closed for a time.
Wiltshire Council has published guidance for businesses affected by flooding at https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/article/992/Flooding-advice-for-businesses
