Isle of Wight floods: Investigation into water pumps 'not working'

An investigation has been launched into claims water pumps on the Isle of Wight were not turned on, meaning residents could have needlessly endured flooding.

East Cowes was hit by floods last Wednesday, resulting in at least 12 families needing to be rehomed.

Local councillor Karl Love said water pumps around the Well Road roundabout were "definitely not working".

A Southern Water spokesperson has confirmed the company is aware of the concerns and is investigating.

Tidal flooding and heavy rain left standing water around the town centre.

As traffic drove through the water near the roundabout the waves entered people's homes.

Mr Love said he was called out by "concerned residents".

"The pumps were definitely not working as we have seen them in operation in other similar situations," he said.

He said he put his hands down the drains to ensure the pumps were not blocked by leaves, and then tried to get the emergency services to come and switch them on.

The pumps were turned on in the days following the flooding but he was "more than a bit dismayed" they were not running on Wednesday, he said.

"I believe this has caused much of the significant flooding into households and businesses," he added.

The Southern Water spokesperson said teams are now working round the clock to minimise the disruption to its network on the Island and the wider region caused by Storm Ciaran.

On Wednesday, the Isle of Wight council's resilience coordinator Darren Steed said the authority was still trying to determine how many homes were uninhabitable.

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