Fire service deals with flood call outs after heavy rainfall

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service dealt with a number of calls regarding flooding in the county last night (August 16).

Overall the Fire Service either attended or offered advice for 27 incidents that were reported to us between the hours of 9pm and 12.30am – with the vast majority being in Northampton and Kettering.

The adverse weather affected Northampton between 8pm and just after 8.30pm, with one fire engine and crews attending Rothersthorpe Road at 8.08pm to dig a ditch to divert running water away from a house. And at 8.34pm, another engine was called to Harlestone Road, where crews had to remove water from a property and isolate the electrics.

Officers also inspected or offered advice to incidents at Faraday Close in Upton; Rainsborough Crescent, Knaphill Crescent and Cissbury Road in the Briar Hill area; and Gloucester Avenue and Friars Avenue in Delapre.

After 8.30pm the heavy rainfall appeared to affect the North of the county, with the crew in Raunds pumping flood water into a nearby brook that had been crossing North Street into nearby gardens at 9pm.

The Great British Weather… The gift that keeps on giving 🌧️

Crews from across @northantsfire have attended multiple flooding related incidents this evening after heavy rainfall hit the county

Yet another busy shift for @ConOPLife & Team #FireControl #teamwork #oneteam pic.twitter.com/SXsvGsjYRy

— Nick (@nickg0804) August 17, 2022

Thirteen incidents were reported in Kettering from just before 9pm until shortly before midnight, while there was also one incident in Corby and a further incident in Raunds during this timeframe.

The Kettering incidents saw crews unblock rear garden drains in Mill Road and remove flood water from the ground floor of maisonette flats in Laurel Road – as well as using a submersible pump to remove water from properties in Regent Street and Chestnut Avenue.

Officers also attended and either inspected the scene or offered advice at incidents in Montagu Street, Digby Street, Bellway Close, Bath Road, Willow Road, Linden Avenue, Northfield Avenue and Avondale Road.

Group Manager Ro Cutler said: “The recent hot weather and dry conditions means that the ground is finding it very difficult to absorb water at the moment – so there was always a possibility of flash flooding when heavy rainfall was forecast and it’s something we have been well prepared for.

“Our Control team had to deal with a lot of calls in a short amount of time last night so we’d like to thank them for their hard work, as well as that done by our firefighters and officers – whether it was offering advice, inspecting drains or pumping water out of properties.”