Plympton Pathfields, The Latest News Plympton Pathfields, The Latest News
1. November 2000 - Flash flood causes Long Brook to overflow
Heavy rain on Sunday 5th November caused the Long Brook to break its bank in Barn Meadow upstream of the development site at the rear of Fore Street in Plympton St. Maurice. There was concern that the development on Dark Street Lane had led to a 'backing up' of water. Aidan Cooper who lives at the top of Tanyard Lane said, "The Long Brook which flows at the rear of my garden is generally between 1 and 2 metres wide and 30 to 60 cm deep in wet conditions. On Sunday 5th November it became a torrent of water 8 metres wide and 2 metres deep. I have seen worse wet weather than this, but never resulting in such flooding"
By late afternoon on the development
site the normally gentle stream became a large lake and began to spill over the road
and onto the building site. At it's height it reached the stone parapet of the
bridge on Dark Street Lane and the large square section culvert recently installed was
completely covered. It was also clear that this culvert was leaking along its length
as water poured from the side. As the pressure of water built up at the bridge, a
powerful swirling vortex sucked hundreds of gallons of water through the stone bridge
culvert forcing it out of the other side horizontally for several metres under tremendous
pressure. It was clear that water that would normally have spread onto the water
meadow was forced to build up before the stone bridge. Onlookers were afraid that
any children or animals accidentally falling into the man made lake could easily drown,
unable to escape the torrent and become sucked into the open culvert.
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