"Dangerously" high levels of flood water outside a school in Surrey are leaving small children soaked in the morning. Parents have been forced to carry their children across the flood water as there is no other way around.
The regular occurrence was exacerbated by the heavy downpours brought by Storms Bert and Conall. Lime Tree Primary School in Merstham is only accessible by one route which leaves parents no choice but to wade through the chilly waters.
A father-of-two revealed the water lapped over his Wellington boots on Wednesday morning (November 27) as he carried his six-year-old daughter across the flooded footpath. He says the water reached heights of more than 11 inches and raised concerns that a child could fall in the water and become submerged or injured.
Dr George Waddell said: "It's just become a repeating problem, it's particularly bad as a result of all the rain we have had. The only way to get to the school is to cross under the railway bridge there is really no other way unless you take a mile or two detour.
"It's not always this bad, but on Wednesday the water covered the pavement and I was sticking to the sides to avoid the water. But when the flood doesn't reach the pavement, children and adults are still splashed by cars driving down the road."
The Surrey Highways team were called to more than '150 significant flooding incidents' on Wednesday, after Storm Conall battered the county with heavy rain overnight and throughout the morning.
A Surrey County Council spokesperson told SurreyLive [on Wednesday]: “A highways crew is booked to attend Frenches Road, Merstham which is around the corner from the school. Our emergency hub is experiencing extremely high volumes of calls at present and all of our emergency highways officers are out dealing with incidents across Surrey. We hope to have an estimated time of arrival for Frenches Road soon and will endeavour to get there as soon as possible.”
Parents have struggled to navigate the issue, abandoning prams and going back and forth across the road. Dr Waddell witnessed one mother carry her toddler to side of the road and leaving them alone so she could run back for the pram, he is worried a child could be knocked into the water.
He has also witnessed good Samaritans driving past offering to pick up parents and their children and drop them into the school gates. Children have been dropped off at the school wet and cold, and his daughter has had to wear spare clothes from the school. Dr Waddell is planning on packing spare clothes in her bookbag, just in case.
He said: "My wife uses the car and takes our two-year-old to daycare. So I walk our daughter to school, but before I set off my wife will text me and warn me to wear wellies if the road looks flooded. It generally feels dangerous, I have no doubt the council are aware and will work on it. But it gets a point when something drastic happens for action to be taken and it would be nice if it didn't come to that."
To make matters worse, the road turns under the second bridge to the south west of the school. Dr Waddell says here vehicles race around the corner, splashing parents and children.
While Dr Waddell has stated he has noticed the problem since his daughter started school, he has been informed by those who have lived in the area for several years that the issue is ongoing. He claims that despite reporting the incident via the Surrey County Council online system, he hasn't seen any action besides flooding signs.
"Impassable unless you're wearing waders"
Fed up families have taken to reporting the flooding on the Surrey County Council website, which are pinned on a map. One individual fumed on September 20, 2024: "The drain under the railway bridge is blocked and the entire road and pavement is flooded. The road is completely impassable to pedestrians, unless you happen to be wearing waders. Especially impossible for someone with a toddler and a baby in a pushchair. This was a known problem when I was walking to school 20 years ago, I'm astounded it is still a problem now having moved back to the area."
Another echoed: "The entire pavement and road is flooded in this location YET AGAIN. This has been going on for years! It prevents children walking to school and causes problems for people driving to work as they have to turn around and take another route. It really is about time this problem was addressed FULLY once and for all!! Please find a permanent solution, this has become incredibly tiresome and clearly whatever you are doing (if anything) isn't working - try something else!"
It was estimated that overnight on November 26 during Storm Conall up to 50mm of rain fell across part of the South East, with many rail lines shutting, and roads being completely blocked across Surrey. Some were unable to leave their homes today, and requested sandbag deliveries.
Have you been affected by Storm Conall? Send me an email via lauren.colelomas@reachplc.com
