2013

TQ2347 : Flanchford Bridge - Christmas 2013 floods

taken 10 years ago, near to Leigh, Surrey, England

Flanchford Bridge - Christmas 2013 floods
Flanchford Bridge - Christmas 2013 floods
23 December 2013 saw substantial rainfall in East Surrey as a major storm crossed Southern England. The result was some of the worst flooding in the area for many years taking place on Christmas Eve, due to the clay soil, already saturated from rain a few days earlier, being unable to absorb extra water. This resulted in the various streams in the area overflowing, along with the River Mole, with areas close to the river further downstream, such as at Brockham, Pixham, Burford Bridge and Leatherhead, also being successively inundated.

Among the bridges that were overtopped by the river was Flanchford Bridge, and the extra pressure on the downstream parapet led to its collapse, as seen here. Initial impressions are that the bridge structure itself remains sound, but confirmation will need to await closer inspection by engineers. Given the continued wet weather, resulting in water levels under the bridge remaining high (and the risk of repeat overtopping of the bridge), this could take time, and in the meantime the bridge remains closed to traffic.
Flanchford Bridge

A series of photos showing Flanchford Bridge, a bridge carrying Flanchford Road over the River Mole near Leigh, before and after damage caused by severe flooding in December 2013. This led to its eventual closure and replacement with a new bridge, opened to traffic on 5 March 2017.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Ian Capper and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Rivers, Streams, Drainage Roads, Road transport Near: Leigh Reigate Place: Flanchford Bridge other tags: Christmas 2013 Floods River Mole Flanchford Road Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
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TQ2347, 105 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Ian Capper   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Tuesday, 31 December, 2013   (more nearby)
Submitted
Wednesday, 1 January, 2014
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 234 479 [100m precision]
WGS84: 51:13.0699N 0:14.0497W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 234 480
View Direction
Southwest (about 225 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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