Town floods blamed on lack of green space
A SHORTAGE of green spaces has been blamed by Guernsey Water for extensive flooding throughout Town, after a week's-worth of rain fell in just 15 minutes on Thursday.
The utility also warned islanders to be prepared for more deluges over the coming days.
Around 12mm of rain fell between 6pm and 7pm – most of that in a 15-
minute period, compared with a monthly rainfall average of 45mm.
Water services director Stephen Langlois said his staff worked throughout Thursday night to help property owners.
He said increased paving had led to the problems and the drains could not cope.
'Decades of development have reduced our green spaces, so there is nowhere for the rain water to drain naturally,' he said.
'This means that when a lot of rain falls in a short space of time the drains quickly become overwhelmed and the only route is overland.'
He said they were working to increase drainage capacity and ensure new developments did not increase the problem.
