School closed due to down pour damage

Published on 21st June 2007 in News

Friday's torrential rain caused havoc for schoolchildren and a local publican.

Brian Knight, landlord of The First and Last Inn on South Street, spent most of his weekend pumping out the pub's cellar.

It began filling up on Friday afternoon, and was 18 inches deep by 10pm that night.

Mr Knight called the fire service shortly before 10pm, and a crew from Goole worked for three hours to pump out the water.

They were back again at 7.30am the following morning, and were kept busy until 1pm.

Mr Knight bought a pump which pumped out at 125 litres of water a minute, and borrowed others, and the cellar was finally starting to dry out on Monday afternoon.

"It's the first time it's happened while we've been here," said Mr Knight.

The floodwater was fresh water from a fractured water main, and Mr Knight believes the burst was caused by the stress of the extra rain.

As well as beer barrels, Mr Knight's tools were in the cellar and he estimates that the damage amounts to between £1,000 and £1,500.

But despite his weekend, the landlord has kept his sense of humour: "We had extra disco lights when the fire brigade arrived," he said.

Meanwhile, Vermuyden School closed its doors to students last Friday, and on Monday, due to the severe weather.

A spokesperson for East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) told the Goole Times: "Vermuyden School was closed at lunchtime on Friday due to damage caused by the exceptionally heavy rain.

"Our 1909 main building and the 60s buildings, which are due to be replaced in the near future, could not cope. Numerous windows leaked, making the floors throughout the buildings unacceptably slippery and unsafe.

"There were many roof leaks which compromised the safety of the lighting circuits upstairs in the main building, and part of a ceiling came down in the Design building.

"The school was closed on Monday to enable us to carry out safety inspections of the damaged areas. I am pleased to say that everything is now back to normal and we re-opened the school on Tuesday."

The spokesperson added that a flood helpline was also set up by the council last week to help East Riding residents cope with the rain levels.