School and leisure centres close after flood damage

Leisure centres, a recycling centre and a school have had to close due to flood damage after a night of heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service said it received a "large volume of calls" on Friday night and urged people to only get in contact if it was an emergency.

Chosen Hill School in Churchdown will be closed on Monday and two leisure centres in Cheltenham will remain closed on Saturday, following "significant" damage related to flooding.

On Friday and into the early hours of Saturday, thousands of lightning strikes were recorded across southern England, with downpours causing some localised flash flooding.

Cheltenham General Hospital also faced "some disruption" on Friday, with the heavy downpours causing water to come through the ceiling into an area of the hospital.

Commercial cleaners removed the water and sanitised the affected area, with the hospital saying weekend services "have not been impacted" due to its response to the flooding.

Chosen Hill School said on social media that it was "with regret" it had to close.

The school will conduct an electrical survey to assess the damage, before being able to open again safely.

It added it was due to "significant" water damage, caused by a flash flood on Friday night.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of this unforeseen and extreme event. We have made this decision now in order to provide you with as much notice as possible to make alternative arrangements," the school posted.

Leisure At Cheltenham has posted on Facebook that it had to stay closed on Saturday due to weather-related damage.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience," the leisure centre added.

Fundamental Movement Academy, another leisure centre in Cheltenham, has also had to stay closed on Saturday due to damage caused by flooding.

On Facebook, the centre posted: "We will be giving you updates as much as we can whilst trying our best to get everything clean and ready for our re-opening."

In Gloucester, Hempsted Household Recycling Centre also partially flooded and will be closed on Saturday.

Gloucestershire County Council said in a statement: "Our teams are trying to clear the water but with more rain in the forecast we would advise customers to check the website, customer emails or social media before travelling to the centre for your afternoon appointments."

More storms and heavy rain are expected over the weekend with yellow Met Office warnings in force.

Flood alerts are in place in the River Leadon catchment around Tibberton and Staunton, and the Wye Estuary from Redbrook to Chepstow.

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