Portslade in the Past: Portslade & Flooding

Judy Middleton 2002 (revised 2020)

copyright © J. Middleton
In this photograph dating from the 1920s, The Stonery is the central building with North House Farmhouse in the background. Today's Valley Road is situated at edge of Stonery's market garden, the road was built on the path of a stream ( ‘winter-bourne’) that ran to the Old Village.

The Sea

As sea levels rise, the prospect of the sea overpowering low-lying land at Hove and Portslade seems inevitable at some stage in the future. But the relationship with the sea has always been fraught. Of course it was only due to climate change at the end of the Ice Age in the first place that created the sea channel off the coast as it is today – before that Sussex / England and France / Europe had been one continent.

Nothing in nature stays the same, and indeed by 1341 this part of Sussex had lost a great deal of land to the sea. For example, no less than 150 acres at Hove went under water, reducing it to a small village with its northern boundary where the Old Shoreham Road is today. The situation was not quite so severe at Aldrington and Portslade, but they also lost 40 acres each.

It is interesting to note the flooding that occurred in 1875. It happened when a strong north-west wind, combined with a flood tide, sent the sea over the beach to join with the water in the canal. The result was that Portslade Gas Works was flooded to a depth of 18 inches. According to Henry Cheal, a similar event occurred in March 1876 when sea-water flooded over the bank and into the canal again.

Today, Portslade and Hove are a recognised flood-risk place – indeed it is a sobering thought that the area appears in an unenviable top ten list of the most vulnerable locations in the entire country.

Rain, Ground Water, Surface Water and Sewers

Nobody would describe the subject of drainage as a romantic topic but it is a vital consideration especially when more and more green acres are covered by tarmac and housing. Indeed, given the terrible flooding in parts of England this winter, the matter could not be more relevant. One of the great problems is the acute shortage of land available for housing, which has led to short-sighted developments on flood plains.

In the old days at Portslade there was a stream running down where Valley Road is today, which ended up in a large pond north of Old Shoreham Road; there was probably another one at Copperas Gap. These were known as ‘winter-bournes’ - in other words they were not proper rivers, but turned into a stream during winter rains. When the surroundings were rural, they were no trouble to anyone. In the Old Village, once High Street was covered with tarmac at both ends, rainwater just cascaded down each side, pooling in the hollow and flooding houses. At Mile Oak, trouble was caused by modern farming methods; the wisdom of ages was ignored, and hedges and trees were merrily grubbed up to provide larger fields that were easier to manage. But hedges also had a purpose as flood-breaks – besides their value to wild-life and as ancient boundaries. In a really wet season of heavy rain, the chalk Downs lose their ability to absorb any more water and so water, top-soil and mud sloshes down the hillside without restraint.

copyright © G. Osborne
With thanks to Mr G. Osborne for granting permission for the reproduction of the above photograph from his private collection.
An aerial view of the Mile Oak Approved School in the 1930s, The market garden and very large pond absorbed heavy rain, This area is now completely built over by the Edgehill Way Estate. In July 2014 rain water ran as a torrent down the roads of this Estate, flooding the gardens in Mile Oak Road and continued down the hill through Wickhurst Road to Drove Crescent and Valley Road.

Portslade-by-Sea

In 1901 there were storms on 27 February, and 1 March, which caused flooding in the Elm Road area. Flooding occurred again on 27 May 1904 in Elm Road and Buckler Street.

Bad storms would also cause the sewer to overflow near the Britannia Mills – this happened on 20 July 1903, in October 1906, and in January 1936.

It took a long time in arriving, but at length in 1998 a new sewer was constructed for south Portslade, and naturally there was a sense of relief. The residents were therefore somewhat annoyed when a downpour on 4 July 2000 caused the same old problem of the road being flooded. This led to an argument between Brighton & Hove City Council and Southern Water over the knotty problem of insufficient gullies. A new storm drain was installed at a cost of £100,000 but a mere eighteen months later on 2 October 2001 a torrential downpour led to flooding in Church Road and Vale Road yet again. To add to the general misery, the sewers also overflowed. Southern Water pledged to carry out emergency work and install a 750,000-litre tank in a bid to stop the flooding; this was built on land south of Wellington Road. There is also another holding tank catering for surface water emanating from the Easthill / Benfield area, and this reduces flooding in Links Road and Vale Road.

Official figures show the frequency of incidents:

Portslade-by-Sea (West)

Affected by Surcharged Sewers

1988

1991

1992

2001

2002

2006

Portslade-by-Sea (East)

Affected by Surcharged Sewers

1988

1991

1992

2000

2001

2002

2003

2006

Affected by Surface Water

1999

2002

2003

2004

2006

On 29 July 2014 there was a storm with thunder and hail stones as large as twenty pence pieces that unfortunately blocked up drains and precipitated flooding. In Elm Road there was flooding and one woman had to try and empty 1-ft of water from inside her car. Her neighbour Peter Freeman said that water rushed through the front door when it was opened and reached a level of 24-in, way past the plug sockets. Chris Cordell of Lincoln Road said his house had been flooded twice in a week because nothing had been done about the drains. Stagecoach South had to stop the number 700 bus from running along the coast road because of flooding at Portslade and Southwick.

The newest innovation was to protect certain properties at risk in Elm Road, Shelldale Road, and Lincoln Road with the latest state-of-the-art flood gates, doors, and automatic air-brick covers. (See also under Old Village).

The Old Village

copyright © D.Sharp
The brick wall and brass pipe, about 20 metres from Portslade Farmhouse is all that remains of the original village pump on the west side of South Street. The Old Village was not connected to the mains water supply until 1879.

It is instructive to note that Portslade Brewery was founded in the village precisely because of the fine quality of the water. Of course, you can have too much water, and in February 1988 it was stated that because of the constant rain, underground springs had started to flow, the water table rose, and there was 5-ft of water in the deep cellars of the old Brewery.

Meanwhile, at nearby Stag’s Head pub they were worried the water in the cellars might reach their beer store, and so they were obliged to keep their pump in continuous use. This also happened in 2001. But the old cellars have seen water many times over the years. For example, in the 1950s there was so much water present that the barrels were set afloat.

Also in the 1950s, the flooding spread to Robin’s Row. Mrs Doo lived in number 5 with her disabled son and earned money in domestic work, although in happier days she used to run a sweet shop next to the Theatre Royal, Brighton. On one occasion Mrs Doo returned from work to find that because of the heavy rain, her poor son was sitting in his chair, marooned in a flooded room.

In February 2013 it was stated that a couple who had purchased a house in High Street around a decade previously, had no idea that the area was liable to flooding. Therefore it came as a nasty shock when they discovered spring water seeping into their cellar; the husband had used the cellar as his ‘den’ where he liked to listen to music. Instead, they had to install a pump swiftly and it was reckoned to be shifting around 900 gallons an hour into the sewer. It was only afterwards that they learned about water tables and rising spring water. It was noted that the winter of 2013/2014 was also extremely wet.

On 28 July 2014 there was an extreme storm with a heavy downpour. Whereas the average rainfall in Portslade and Hove is 40mm, on that July day there was 73mm in a mere 24 hours. It was therefore not surprising that there was flooding in South Street, with the water rising again in the cellars of the Stag’s Head.

In June 2016 lunch-time was enlivened by thunder, lightning, and a downpour – causing flash flooding. What was interesting about this event, was that it was so localised – while in Portslade it was raining cats and dogs, a mere mile away there was only light drizzle. There was 2-ft of water in South Street, and firefighters had to be summoned to deal with it, besides visiting Valley Road and Drove Road. The Old Shoreham Road near Mayberry Garden Centre was closed because of flooding too.

Under the small car park next to the Baptist Church in South Street, there is a large holding tank designed to hold thousands of gallons of water safely, which can then be discharged into the sewers at a suitable time and does not overload the system.

In 2019 / 2020 the situation was greatly improved in the village with large drains on the corner by the estate agent’s and further up, as well as a new road surface, and a safer layout for pedestrians crossing the road. All this work was done under the ‘planning gain’ laid down by Brighton & Hove City Council as a condition of planning permission to convert the old Brewery / LeCarbone into apartments, and to build new housing in High Street and Drove Road in a more traditional style suitable for a conservation area.

In 2019 work was also done to alleviate flooding in housing. This was the result of a survey undertaken by Brighton & Hove City Council, which identified 63 properties in Hove and Portslade that were most at risk. The council managed to secure 253K from the Government for this project, adding 177K from its own coffers, making the grand total of 430K. This money enabled the installation of flood gates, doors, and air-brick covers that were activated automatically should sensors pick up the risk of flooding. This work was carried out on houses in High Street, South Street, Elm Road, Shelldale Road and Lincoln Road. People were fascinated to see the heavy-duty black front gates fitted. But as one jovial workman told a house-holder ‘the new system cannot really be tested until there is another flood!’

Official figures show the frequency of incidents:

Surcharged Sewers

1988

1994

2005

Groundwater

2000

2001

2014

Rain Gardens

In 2016 innovative measures were suggested to create two rain gardens in Portslade – one in Victoria Recreation Ground and the other in the Village Green. The idea was to capture surface water to help overloading drainage in a storm, as well as being a green initiative to encourage wild life and wild flowers. Both are now a reality, with nearby information boards to explain the project.

Mile Oak

Councillor Leslie Hamilton, junior, can well remember the flooding in 1976 when he was part of a 20-man bucket chain, desperately trying to move surplus water away from housing. There was a particular ‘wet spot’ at the junction of Nursery Close and Mile Oak Road where a dip in the surface meant water was apt to pool, covering the whole width of the Close for around 10-yds. This problem was eventually alleviated by drainage works undertaken in Mile Oak Road between Oakdene Crescent and Mile Oak Farm.

On 9 October 1987 ten days of continuous rain caused a mudslide from the Downs, and houses in Overdown Rise and Mile Oak Road were badly affected, while North Lane and shops in Valley Road were hit too. It was said to have been the wettest period at Mile Oak since 1909. Remedial work was undertaken to alleviate the problem with new gullies being installed – some at Mile Oak Farm – and lagoons to hold excess water. Hove Council reckoned that the cost of dealing with the mud slid amounted to £22,000.

However, it was impossible to predict something so extreme as the Great Gale of 15 / 16 October 1987, which was immediately followed by flooding. Precautions at Mile Oak included the provision of sandbags but unfortunately this did not stop the water.

In April 1988 there was a violent thunderstorm, and houses in Mile Oak were again flooded, while water poured through houses in Heathfield Crescent. Fortunately the dams held, but the soakaways failed to cope with the volume of water washing down the roads.

In February 1990 four inches of mud cascaded down the hill, blocking the doorways of three houses, and covering the gardens in Thornhill Rise.

There was a bad storm in November 1990. It was stated that the Fire Brigade spent most of the night of 9 November pumping out houses in the Oakdene area. The dams and lagoons held except for the one above Overdown Drive, which was unable to cope with all the silt and water. Gardens were flooded, bur sandbags protected some of the houses. Hove Council brought in heavy equipment and carried out improvements costing £3,500. It seems the trouble arose because the fields above Overdown Drive had been farmed more intensely than usual. It was stated that the council would continue to ask farmers to sow grass instead of crops on steep slopes.

Early in 2001 Brighton & Hove City Council set up a Scrutiny Panel to find out what lessons might be learned from flooding at Mile Oak, Bevendean, Patcham and Ovingdean. As regards Mile Oak, Councillor Bob Carden stated the trouble started near Mile Oak Farm when the drains south of the tunnel under the by-pass became blocked by debris washed off the fields. A field on the east side of Mile Oak Road became a lake when it rained, and a channel had been dug to connect with a soakaway in the road. However, when this filled to capacity, the water spread to nearby roads. There had also been flooding at the junction of Wickhurst Rise and Chalky Road, and in parts of Valley Road. Local children had a great time riding their scooters through the giant puddle near the Valley Road shops.

Water Shortage

It is ironic that while this article deals with excess water, the current fear for the future is that there will be a shortage of water, and this problem could arise in as little as ten years. Indeed, Southern Water makes the dismal forecast that within 25 years a third of its water sources will have been lost due to climate change. It is obvious that with ever increasing demand, a rise in population, plus climate change, the situation was bound to become serious. In the Brighton, Hove, and Portslade area, the water we use comes not from a reservoir but from the aquifer – this is the name given to the natural process whereby rainwater percolates through porous chalk until it meets a more resistant surface where it pools. An example of how this works can be seen in the well-known spring that gushes forth near the Shepherd and Dog pub in Fulking. If there is a great deal of rain, the water in the aquifer rises (known as the water table) and leads to flooding. In days past, water derived from the Downland aquifer was well regarded for its purity because the chalk also acted as a filter. Unfortunately, today there is a big problem with nitrates infiltrating the water, either from agricultural pesticides, or run-off from roads. A horrifying statistic is that more then 70% of the water available in this area has rising levels of nitrates. Of course Souther Water has to treat the water before it can be released through the mains.

Not before time it was announced in March 2020 that a new partnership to address this problem had been formed. It is called the Aquifer Partnership and has representatives from Southern Water, Brighton & Hove City Council, the South Downs National Park Authority, and the Environment Agency.

Sources

Argus (9/12/13 / 29/7/14 / 30/7/14 / 8/6/16 / 30/3/20)

Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade

Preliminary Green Infrastructure Feasibility Study for Portslade. Version May 2015, internet

Many thanks to Councillor Les Hamilton for additional information (Councillor for North Portslade for 26 years, and Councillor for South Portslade for 22 years)

07 May 2020

Portslade & Flooding