UPDATE: County council works to stop flooding after Hassocks residents use brooms to protect shops

They grabbed buckets and brooms as the flash flood happened at about 9.30pm, sweeping water away from homes and businesses on Keymer Road and Parklands Road.

They also directed traffic away from the water so vehicles would not create waves, allowing residents to sweep the flood into a nearby drain more easily.

West Sussex County Council now aims to improve drainage in the Keymer Road area.

Kelly Harding, 32, who owns Bella June Flowers on Keymer Road, said the area has had a flooding problem for a long time.

“There was a really bad flood in October last year, she said, adding that her shop floor was completely ruined and that it had to be ripped up and concreted again.

The rest of the shop had to be fully refurbished too, she said.

But Kelly, who has owned Bella June Flowers for three years, said the water damage was nowhere near as bad on Monday thanks to the quick thinking of nearby residents.

“Every time it floods on Parklands Road and Keymer road now all the residents come out ready,” she said.

Kelly said about 15 people will come out to unblock drains, push away water and put down sand bags.

“It’s quite a sight,” she said, adding that the helpers saved her shop and that only her doormat got wet this time.

“We have residents in their dressing gowns, barefoot, in pyjamas, with kids in tow just coming out to try to sweep all the water towards the drain,” Kelly said.

She added that she was very grateful to them for their help, saying that it is ‘heartwarming to know that they are there’.

Kelly said the area got roughly three centimetres of rain in 30 minutes, and that the fire brigade arrived within ten minutes to help them.

“I’ve not seen Hassocks flooded like that in a long time,” she said.

“October flooded badly just in this area but this week it flooded badly all over Hassocks.”

Kelly said she thinks the cause of the flooding is a blocked drain in Keymer Road and fears it might have become clogged with cement.

“The water pours in and out of one drain and the other drain can’t keep up,” said Kelly, adding that Hayley Elphick, the owner of the nearby REFLEX @42 hair salon now places sand bags down as soon as the rain starts.

“That drain just needs unblocking, it’s as simple as that,” she said.

Kelly said she and Hayley, 31, have let West Sussex County Council know about the flooding through LibDem councillor Kirsty Lord (Hassocks and Burgess Hill South) who is trying to get the problem fixed.

Hayley said she also thinks the drain is blocked with cement.

“When this last happened I was here until 1am with a group of people trying to get to the bottom of the drain that was blocked,” said Hayley.

“When we got to the bottom there was just so much scree everywhere, you could see the water wasn’t making it through.”