'Severe flooding on a bank of the River Thames has led to numerous cars ending up in a watery grave. Julie Newens, who runs a boat hire and repair firm on Putney Embankment in London, said drivers ignored warning signs. Mrs Newens and her husband Chas warn motorists of the dangers, but said they are often ignored.
"Chas will tell someone not to park there and the drivers can be quite rude. When they come back and see their car has floated away they blame us and say we have pushed it in when we haven't touched it."
Interesting to see that some drivers go into imbecile mode when dealing with boaters as well as with us.
'Severe flooding on a bank of the River Thames has led to numerous cars ending up in a watery grave. Julie Newens, who runs a boat hire and repair firm on Putney Embankment in London, said drivers ignored warning signs. Mrs Newens and her husband Chas warn motorists of the dangers, but said they are often ignored.
"Chas will tell someone not to park there and the drivers can be quite rude. When they come back and see their car has floated away they blame us and say we have pushed it in when we haven't touched it."
Interesting to see that some drivers go into imbecile mode when dealing with boaters as well as with us.
He he. :-) It might help if the signs said /tidal/ flooding. IIRC they just say this road liable to flooding or something like that and people think, "It hasn't rained I'll be OK." -- Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"
'Severe flooding on a bank of the River Thames has led to numerous cars ending up in a watery grave. Julie Newens, who runs a boat hire and repair firm on Putney Embankment in London, said drivers ignored warning signs. Mrs Newens and her husband Chas warn motorists of the dangers, but said they are often ignored.
"Chas will tell someone not to park there and the drivers can be quite rude. When they come back and see their car has floated away they blame us and say we have pushed it in when we haven't touched it."
Interesting to see that some drivers go into imbecile mode when dealing with boaters as well as with us.
He he. :-) It might help if the signs said /tidal/ flooding. IIRC they just say this road liable to flooding or something like that and people think, "It hasn't rained I'll be OK."
There are warning signs along the shore road at Bosham in West Sussex that state "This road flood at _every_ high tide." Doesn't stop drivers parking there and returning to flooded cars. Many photos on the walls of the Anchor Bleu (the only pub in Britain with a watertight bulkhead door) feature flooded cars in the car park behind.
He he. :-) It might help if the signs said /tidal/ flooding. IIRC they just say this road liable to flooding or something like that and people think, "It hasn't rained I'll be OK."
Seeing large boats on dry land should be a clue that the tide is low. Or do motorists not think of such things ;-)
He he. :-) It might help if the signs said /tidal/ flooding. IIRC they just say this road liable to flooding or something like that and people think, "It hasn't rained I'll be OK."
Seeing large boats on dry land should be a clue that the tide is low. Or do motorists not think of such things ;-)
It is possible to lead yourself into a false sense of security - I locked my bike up in a pub car park by the Thames thinking "shirley no-one would put a car park where it floods". But I was wrong, and had to climb along a fence to fish my bike out to avoid getting wet.
JimP
-- Let's think the unthinkable, let's do the undoable, let's prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all. - DNA
He he. :-) It might help if the signs said /tidal/ flooding. IIRC they just say this road liable to flooding or something like that and people think, "It hasn't rained I'll be OK."
Seeing large boats on dry land should be a clue that the tide is low. Or do motorists not think of such things ;-)
People who live in the Twickenham area are quite used to seeing drowned cars. I'm sure people know they're parking in a flood zone by a tidal river, but they look at the trickle of water and collection of muddy puddles that the Thames is at low tide and think, "It can't possibly get this high in such a short time. I'll be all right for a few hours."
