Sainsbury’s forced to close due to sudden downpour.
By: Paul Eddison, Nicola Hine, Valentina Jovanovski, Benedict Munden
Severe rain in Wimbledon forced Sainsbury’s to turn away customers on Thursday afternoon.
The Worple Road store closed shortly before 2pm due to flooding, and remained shut for over an hour.
Cleaners were called in to remove the water, meaning Sainsbury’s had to refuse many lunchtime customers.
Store Manager Pat Feenan explained that although the council have been informed of the issue, flooding has remained a problem for the last few years.
“It’s really inconvenient for us,” he said.
“For health and safety reasons we can’t allow customers into the store. We don’t want our customers falling over.”
Mr Feenan added he was aware of a weather warning announced by the Met Office in the early hours of Thursday morning.
With the bad weather set to continue as winter approaches, flooding is likely to remain a problem throughout the area.
Local plumbers are in particularly high demand from homeowners and businesses in these extreme conditions.
Greg Alexander, Director of Wimbledon-based firm Alexander Plumbing Ltd, advised people to ensure their drainage is working adequately by having it checked by a plumber.
He added: “People below street level are particularly susceptible to flooding.”
Merton Council provides a limited number of sandbags to elderly and vulnerable residents to restrict flood damage.
For further advice on dealing with flooding, contact the Environment Agency on 0845 988 1188, or visit http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/.
