Storm hell holidaymakers rescued

NEARLY 200 people had to be rescued from a flooded holiday park as 65mph gales and heavy rain battered the South Coast yesterday.

- Mark Reynolds

Emergency crews helped residents flee swamped chalets as a torrent swept cars through the Medmerry site near Selsey, West Sussex. Some sheltered in a pub and a community centre and one was taken to hospital with suspected hypothermia.

Authorities said an exceptionally high tide combined with strong wind to create "horrendous" conditions.

The park will be closed until May 13, according to its website last night.

Along the coast the foreshore at Milford on Sea in Hampshire was littered with the remains of beach huts that had plunged down eroding cliffs.

Elsewhere, some locals were told to move to higher ground after a river overflowed. West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said: "Crews are supporting rescue operations in Littlehampton near Ferry Road and Rope Walk where the River Arun has burst its banks, leading to severe flooding. Residents should remain in their properties if it is safe to do."

Swamped

One business owner said parts of the town were "devastated" by floods and her elderly parents were helped to escape in the early hours.

Christine Coe, 54, who runs Rita's Diner, said the situation was "very bad", and her husband's workshops where he runs a classic car business were swamped.

She said: "My parents are in their 70s. They live just off Rope Walk, and they are both shocked.

"I've spoken with them, they're staying with family at the moment, but they can't come back to their bungalow because it's under water.