Heavy Rainfall led to flooding in Benfleet High Road and close to the Creek.
‘Homes were abandoned as floods hit South-East Essex at the weekend.’ Southend Standard Newspaper Thursday 19th September 1968.
‘Canvey people likened the floods to the 1953 disaster. They could never remember storm flooding as bad….. From Friday to Saturday over 5 inches of rain fell on Canvey, according to council figures.’
The road at Benfleet Station was flooded so motorists used the pedestrian underpass instead, so that they could avoid the flood.
About 100 homes in Benfleet had their ground floors flooded. Worst hit was South Benfleet, by Benfleet Creek from which many people had to be evacuated. They were put up in the council’s Runnymede Hall for a few days. Southend Standard Newspaper, Thursday 19th September 1968.
One of the contributory causes of the flood was thought to be that one of the pumps down by the creek got flooded and stopped working. The tide happened to be in so it was difficult to drain Church Creek, so the run off from the heavy rainfall had nowhere to go.
To listen to residents talk about their experiences, click here.
Listen to Councillor Alf Partridge and how the flood was mopped up.
See map at bottom of page.
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