SURGE TIDE SIEGE

Parts of Mersea Island suffered with flooding by the sea following the surge tide in the early hours of Friday 6th. The worst affected areas were some of the streets and houses along the edge of West Mersea, such as this view of Coast Road in front of the Yacht Club taken at 1.30am.

Parts of Coast Road were completely submerged and unwalkable and a pair of wellies were certainly handy.

The section of Coast Road beside the houseboats usually floods on the spring tides but this surge tide brought in so much debris and rubbish.

Several of the houses at the bottom of the Lane were flooded despite the use of sandbags by the doors. Many houses had lots of close escapes with the water stopping inches from entering their properties at the height of the tide just before 2am.

A fair number of folk, possibly a hundred, went to bed late during the night so they could watch the drama unfold. Many of these folk came back again 12 hours later to see it all happen during the daylight hours. Here a group exchanging tales on a flooded Coast Road at the bottom of Firs Chase.

Another part of West Mersea affected by the night's flooding was at Seaview Caravan site where water flooded in behind the beach huts.

Also at Seaview caravan site was this new lagoon on the tourers pitches next to the Two Tides clubhouse.


 Flooding on the Strood causeway during the surge tide meant the Island was seemingly impassable for nearly six hours - according to someone who waited in the car trying to get off the Island.
The country park at East Mersea remained unaffected by the surge tide and the seawall remained intact and the park cliff fared quite well too.

Don't know what all the birds thought of the very high tides over the last 12 hours. This grey plover was resting on the side of the Rewsalls seawall as the tide came in around noon on Friday. Also noted in the area were 20 sanderling, 36 curlew, 200 brent geese, common snipe, 2 linnets and a little egret. A common buzzard was perched in a Rewsalls hedge next to a game cover crop. There was also a common buzzard seen on wires near Manwood Grove in Shop Lane.



At West Mersea a Mediterranean gull was off Seaview Avenue along with 5 sanderling and 8 pied wagtails on the beach. The very high waters seemed to have driven many birds away from the area at the peak of the tides. Five red-breasted mergansers were the only birds of note in the Quarters. Fifty greenfinches, rock pipit and a little egret were near St Peters.

After a day of drama along the waterfront, there was the briefest glimpse of the setting sun at the end of the afternoon.