That's one way to drown your sorrows

Less than an hour of heavy rain was enough to cause flooding in Apsley on Monday.
White Lion Street in Apsley looked like a canal on Monday evening.White Lion Street in Apsley looked like a canal on Monday evening.
White Lion Street in Apsley looked like a canal on Monday evening.

Peter O’Keife, landlord of the White Lion public house in White Lion Street, told the Gazette how the heavens opened to turn the peaceful street into a virtual canal.

He said: “There must have been an inch of rain in less than an hour.

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“I was upstairs talking to a friendwhen I noticed the rain and hail. By the time I’d finished the conversation and got down to the bar the water had breached our defences. Now we’re waiting for the industrial dryers to arrive.”

White Lion Street in Apsley looked like a canal on Monday evening.
Landlord of the White Lion, Peter O'Keife, mopping up.White Lion Street in Apsley looked like a canal on Monday evening.
Landlord of the White Lion, Peter O'Keife, mopping up.
White Lion Street in Apsley looked like a canal on Monday evening. Landlord of the White Lion, Peter O'Keife, mopping up.

Mr O’Keife also criticised council bosses for failing to clear the drains, describing Apsley as the lowest point in Hemel.

A spokesman for Hertfordshire County Council said: “Areas in the south west of the county experienced a torrential downpour on Monday evening, which caused localised flash floods.

“Highway drainage systems are designed to deal with certain frequencies of rainfall intensity and flooding during this storm was caused by a very large volume of water falling in a short space of time. This overwhelmed the drainage system and caused the localised flooding in many roads, however the water receded quickly once the rain had stopped.

“We urge residents to report incidents of flooding via www.hertsdirect.org/highwayfaults so we can deal with any problems and check drainage systems to make sure they’re working efficiently.”