Stock photo. Photograph by Bob Bowyer
Authorities are pumping water into the Purley Cross pedestrian in order to protest nearby houses from the floods.
The underpass should be able to hold around 600,000 litres of water, but the decision to use the footway as an overflow tank, with Croydon Council leader Mike Fisher saying in a statement:
This has not been an easy decision to take but it has become increasingly clear over the past few hours that we have no alternative if we are to protect people’s homes and businesses from being flooded.
The move is aimed to protect around 400 buildings in Purley and Kenley as well as a water treatment plant that supplies tens of thousands of homes and businesses in the surrounding area.
