- By Nathalie Edell and PA Media
- BBC News
Hastings has been badly affected by a sudden deluge of rain
A shopping centre has been evacuated after heavy rain caused major flooding in an East Sussex town.
East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service said it was dealing with flood water at the Priory Meadow Shopping Centre in Hastings.
Social media footage showed deep water had entered the centre through an entrance on Station Road.
The fire service warned people to avoid the area and said it was “continuously monitoring the weather”.
It added: “Public safety is a key priority and we would ask members of the public to only contact us in relation to flooding where there is a risk to life.”
Earlier, it urged residents to move their cars from the town centre, where streets had been flooding.
Business owner Kate Davidson said she was heartbroken to have lost thousands of pounds in damaged stock
Kate Davidson, who runs Hastings Furniture Service, said she had lost thousands of pounds in damaged stock.
She told BBC South East: “We have seen furniture all over the place, sort of floating around. It’s just heartbreaking.”
Posts on social media show affected areas include Hastings seafront, the town centre and Alexandra Park.
William Sparcia, who owns Sculpture Salon in the town, said his basement was under water.
He said: “It is a disaster. Rain is rain – we understand that – but this was completely predictable.”
It said flooding in January, which also affected the Priory Meadow Shopping Centre, was caused by unusually heavy rainfall coinciding with a high tide, an overflowing manhole and a partially-blocked sewer.
The fire service has evacuated a shopping centre and warned people to move their cars
The Environment Agency currently has eight flood warnings in place for East and West Sussex – for Hastings, Alfriston, Seaford seafront, Seaford town centre, Amberley, Arundel, Climping and Bersted.
Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said there was a yellow rain warning covering London and the south-east until the end of Sunday.
“We are talking about fairly heavy rain, 15 to 30mm,” he said.
“Some spots could see highs of 50 to 70mm with some strong, gusty winds.”
Large parts of Alexandra Park in Hastings are submerged in water
A spokesperson for East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service said there were no formal plans to evacuate homes for now.
It said it was “continuously monitoring” the weather and would “continue to mobilise resources as necessary”.
Meanwhile, trains between Hastings or Eastbourne and Ashford International are running at a reduced speed due to a signalling fault, Southern Rail posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The train operator said it was informed lightning had damaged the system.
The fire service said it was continuously monitoring the situation in East Sussex
