A2 speed restriction in place as Nailbourne continues to rise
The Nailbourne is continuing to rise and is flowing its full length.
So far the following roads have been closed:
- South Barham Road
- The Causeway
- Mill Lane Ford
- Keepers Hill Ford
- Old Palace Road
Today (Thursday 4 January), Kent County Council (KCC) has implemented a 50mph speed restriction on the A2. This means that if Out Elmstead Lane has to be closed quickly over the next few days, everything is in place.
Railway Hill/Derringstone Street in Barham may also need to be closed in the coming days.
The public footpath/bridleway CB274 between Kingston and Bishopsbourne is now under a foot of water in places and is no longer accessible even in wellies.
Our engineers were out daily over the Christmas break, keeping a check on levels and known hotspots and deploying more flood barriers and sandbags.
We are in regular contact with KCC, the Environment Agency (EA) and the Nailbourne River Group, as we have done in previous years.
The EA is closely monitoring the situation and is considering the need to start deploying temporary pumps and other equipment.
Southern Water is carrying out localised tankering to remove groundwater from the sewer at Bishopsbourne to protect services to properties.
On Tuesday 2 January, we welcomed Kent county councillor Tony Hills, who is Chair of Kent Flood Risk Management Committee, for a tour of the Nailbourne and he was impressed with the response being put in place on the ground.
Published: 4 January 2024