From 'no water to underwater': Hurley floods likened to 2014 levels

Large areas of Hurley including the Cricket Club grounds and the Riverside Park have been flooded for the second time in ten years.

Hurley Cricket Club facilities manager, Mike Walton said Hurley Cricket Club was flooded in 2014 which subsequently required the refurbishment of the pavilion and repairs of the machinery due to flood damage.

He said: “Since then we can no longer get insurance against flooding and, from what I could tell yesterday (Sunday), it’s the same level of flooding again. We’re in trouble.

“The whole ground is underwater, and I would guess that it’s probably about two feet deep inside the pavilion again, which is what it was in 2014. It’s pretty much the same and we can’t get near it at the moment.”

Mike didn’t initially see water on the grounds when he checked the CCTV on Saturday and visited the Club on Sunday morning as a precautionary measure to ‘get stuff off the floor in case it flooded’ but was unable to access the site due to severe flooding overnight.

“It was quite quick from being no water to being underwater,” he added.

The nearest Mike could get to the ground on Sunday (December 7) was ‘halfway down Shepherds Lane from the Henley end’ and assumed the situation was unchanged today as ‘the river level hasn’t dropped yet’.

Talking about the fixtures for the next season, Mike said: “It depends on how quickly the flood waters recede. Going back to 2014, the flooding happened in February, and we just about managed to get ready for the start of the season at the end of April.

“I think we probably missed the first week. So that took a lot of hard work from the club members to get it all up to scratch again. We have to wait and see at the moment. Until the water goes away, there’s nothing we can do anyway.”

Hurley Cricket Club is appealing for public support in a recently launched GoFundMe fundraiser as the ‘future of the club is doubt’.

Visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/restore-our-cricket-club-after-flooding 

Hurley Riverside Park park director, Will Burfitt said their land has also been flooded at a similar level to 2014.

He said: "Our Holiday Park is closed due to the flooding but luckily our Touring and Camping park is closed until March 1 anyway. We have been flooded throughout the park – it’s of a similar level to the 2014 flood and the village High Street has been closed as it was then.

"We have goats who normally live on the riverfront but as soon as the water levels start rising they are rescued back to another field away from the river.

"Our village shop has been affected due to the High Street closing, as customers can't drive to it. However, the ladies in the shop did manage to open despite the flood water going over the top of their wellies on their way to work.

"We are hoping the water is on the way down."

Photo credit: Will Burfitt

Parish councillor David Burfitt, who is a flood warden, said residents have been using a private route through the caravan park to access the village while Hurley High Street was closed today (January 8). 

He said The Olde Bell hotel on the High Street was near 'the deepest point of the flood' (approximately 1.5 feet) and The Rising Sun pub also experienced 'difficulties'. 

Cllr Burfitt added: "I think most people think the [flood] is slightly higher than in 2014. Anyone who's moved into the village since 2014 wouldn't have expected this sort of thing."

He said 'luckily' not many houses in the area had reported flooding apart from garages.