Ipswich struggles with flooding after yesterday's rainfall

Sudden flooding occurred in Suffolk, including Ipswich, on Tuesday afternoon, September 12, following severe rainfall and thunderstorms. 

Jay Mohtram of Sherrington Road in Ipswich said: "When I opened my front door to look out into the street, I thought, 'My God, the water is torrential’. 

"I’ve never seen anything like it.  

"I’ve lived on the road for 40 years, and this was the worst flooding I’ve ever seen. It was biblical.  

"The drains were overflowing; there was a tremendous roar of water cascading down the street; it was thundering — the heaviest rain I’ve ever experienced." 

Flooding on Sproughton Road in Ipswich, Supplied (Image: Supplied)

A resident whose garden is located at the rear of Meredith Road shops said that the problem with flooding on this Ipswich street has been ongoing for decades.    

She said: "The drains in the area can't cope with heavy downpours like we saw yesterday.  I have a file of letters to and from Anglian Water, and still nothing gets done.

Garden located at the rear of Meredith Road in Ipswich, Supplied (Image: Supplied)

"One of the letters is on House of Commons letterhead from the local MP in the 1970s."

Garden located at the rear of Meredith Road in Ipswich, Supplied (Image: Supplied)

Paul Geater who lives in west Ipswich said that even though the rainfall lasted only 10 to 15 minutes, the intensity of the rain was “quite extraordinary”. 

He added: “I've never seen anything like it. We've lived in our house in west Ipswich for 25 years and I've never seen our road turned into a flood like this.  

“We have two water butts, one fills from the other and was almost empty. It's full now and our garden pond overflowed giving the grass an extra drink! 

“Thankfully we're on relatively high ground in this part of Ipswich so there was no real risk of flooding - but at one stage I wondered if the conservatory roof (I work in the conservatory) would survive.  

“Thankfully we have no damage.”