A bookseller has been left reeling after “awful” flooding left his shop underwater overnight.
Firefighters were called to Dace Road in Fish Island just after 10pm yesterday evening (January 4) after the nearby River Lee Navigation canal burst its bank.
Around 50 people were evacuated after around 10 acres of land were submerged following torrential rain.
This morning (January 5), the streets of Hackney Wick and Fish Island were largely deserted as businesses started to assess the flood damage after the water final receded.
Simon Goode, a partner at London Centre for Book Arts in Dace Road, said he rushed to the area just before midnight last night after a friend told him about rising water levels.
He told Hackney Gazette: “It was a few feet deep at that point. It was coming in from the end of the road…off the canal.
“We couldn’t get to the entrance of the shop last night because the water was too high, so we had to wait until the morning.”
Simon’s shop floor was completely submerged by the flood, with water rising "a couple of feet", and he had spent much of this morning bailing out the remaining water.
He said: “We’re still trying to work out the extent of the damage.”
Further up Dace Road, towards the canal, a London Fire Brigade (LFB) unit from Leytonstone had just arrived at the scene.
Firefighters began to remove flood barriers and sandbags that had been placed overnight.
Sub-officer Kevin Connor explained that most homes had been left untouched by the flood, as water had not reached the first floor level of the blocks of flats that border the canal.
He said: “In most of the properties around Fish Island, the ground floors are generally commercial properties or car parks.
“People were relatively safe, but the rain was quite torrential. Our main concern was water running backwards into people’s properties.
“These flood barriers are amazing. They have such a simple design and just redirect the water back into the canal.”
He added that firefighters working last night had focused their efforts on putting sandbags around properties to keep them safe and making sure floodwater did not affect electrical equipment.
Last night, LFB Station Commander Dan Capon said from the scene: "Firefighters worked through the night to ensure the scene was safe and evacuated a number of people from surrounding buildings.
"We urged people to avoid the area where possible. Remember - if your property is affected by flooding, move to a higher level where possible.
“If you are in immediate danger, call 999. Follow the advice of the operator."
Crews from Bethnal Green, Leytonstone, Millwall, Plaistow and Islington fire stations all attended the scene.
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