Release date: Thursday 19 February
West Sussex County Council has closed the A29 Shripney Road after the area experienced an estimated two weeks’ worth of rainfall in the past 24 hours. The exceptionally heavy rain, combined with high tides, has resulted in severe flooding, making the road unsafe for drivers from 6am this morning.
Teams are working continuously to reopen the route as soon as it is safe to do so. Pumping operations are underway to remove water from the carriageway into a nearby ditch, following agreement with the landowner. However, due to the volume of rainfall, the drainage outlets currently in use are overwhelmed, preventing the road from being cleared to a safe standard at this time.
With further rain forecast, we cannot rule out additional closures even after the road has reopened, but we will continue to monitor the situation closely and keep our pumps running.
The county council is working alongside partner agencies including Arun District Council and the Environment Agency to investigate long‑term solutions to what remains a recurring and complex flooding issue in this area. These investigations build on work undertaken following similar flooding events during the winter of 2023–24.
We propose to commission a detailed review of the reasons for flooding in the area and establish the opportunities for reducing the extent and risk of further flooding and improve the resilience of the roads.
Residents and road users are advised to check the latest updates on road closures and severe weather impacts via the website: Severe weather update
