East Surrey MP, Peter Ainsworth, spent time last Saturday visiting some of the victims of the latest flooding at Blindley Heath and talking to local residents about the closure of the A22.

Commenting after his meetings, Peter Ainsworth said:

“It was appalling to see the damage done to local properties. Several households had only just finished repairing their properties after the flood last May; now they have lost everything again.

“I am looking to Sutton and East Surrey Water, whose faulty pipes caused this damage to property and peoples’ lives, to shoulder their responsibilities.

“Traumatic events like this can bring out the best in people and, yet again, according to residents, officers of the Fire Service emerged as the heroes of the hour – professional and compassionate.

“Unfortunately, we have also seen a dark side to human nature. Residents have complained about verbal abuse from drivers, frustrated by the road closure. Some irresponsible people have been ignoring the closure altogether, driving over the newly laid repairs and pavements, or using Featherstone as a rat-run.

“What kind of idiot ignores the repeated warnings that that the road is closed? I saw at least 30 cars execute u-turns in the course of an hour.

“Flood victims and inconvenienced local residents have shown patience and resilience; they do not deserve to be shouted or sworn at by impatient and stupid drivers who apparently cannot read a simple message: “Road Closed”.”