Flooding in Uckfield Flashcards
Flood events in Uckfield have been recorded as far back as…
1843
Why is Uckfield so prone to flooding?
This is due to the steep shape of the catchment area, making the floodwaters rise and fall quickly in the River Uck.
When was the Uckfield flood?
On the 12th of October 2000
What factors caused the flood on 12th of October 2000?
Limited permeable surfaces for the water to soak into because the Bellbrook industrial estate was built on the floodplain.
The region’s average monthly rainfall for October had already been exceeded early on in the month.
The autumn of 2000 was abnormally wet, with rain falling most days in the South East throughout September and early October.
Downpours fell on already saturated land.
At Uckfield more than 150mmfell in 24 hours in a location where the annual norm is 875mm.
The Uck basin has a relatively high drainage density figure, which means that rainfall does not have far to travel before reaching a channel.
What were the effects of the floodwater?
The floodwaters ripped up pavements, smashed shop windows and tore down trees.
Many shop units sustained severe damage, including Boots, Curry’s, Somerfield, Potter’s Bookshop and the Sussex Bedding Centre.
What was done in response to the flooding?
Small floodwall was built in the summer of 2009 around the (now Waitrose) car park.
There is also a small gate, which allows shoppers to pass through which would be notified to close when an electric sensor that is stationed in Buxted and Hempstead Mill measuring constantly the flow of the river, records the water to be rising at a certain rate.
There is also a flood plain for all the water to go to on the Hempstead Fields nature reserve, which would keep the water out of the town centre for most flood events.
