Flood Alert Issued for Groundwater Flooding in West Sussex Villages

Alert Details

The Environment Agency has issued a Flood Alert (Severity Level 3) due to high groundwater levels in the Solent and South Downs area. The alert was officially raised on March 2, 2026, at 5:04 PM.

Affected Areas

The alert specifically covers groundwater flooding in the following West Sussex locations:

• West Dean
• Singleton
• Charlton
• East Dean
• Chilgrove

What You Should Do

Residents and travelers in the affected areas should take the following precautions:

• Road Safety: Exercise extreme caution on roads prone to flooding, specifically in Chilgrove, West Dean, Singleton, and East Dean.
• Equipment Check: Ensure that all water pumps are in good working order and ready for use.
• Monitor Conditions: Stay informed as groundwater may appear in a small number of basements.

Expected Conditions

Groundwater levels are currently very high and close to the surface, though they have begun to fall slowly. Residents should expect springs to continue appearing in fields and small amounts of water to flow across local roads. The high water table is currently impacting the ability of the sewage network to operate effectively in East Dean, Charlton, Singleton, and West Dean.

Only small amounts of rainfall are forecast over the next five days. While high pressure and settled conditions are suggested for the first half of March, groundwater flood impacts are likely to persist due to the current saturation levels.

Timeline

The alert is effective immediately, with groundwater flood impacts expected to continue until at least the middle of March 2026. The Environment Agency plans to provide an updated status message by 6:00 PM on March 6, 2026.