Hundreds of residents at holiday park in Northampton told to be 'ready to evacuate' in case of flooding

Hundreds of residents at a holiday park in Northampton have been told to ‘be ready to evacuate’ in case of flooding.

Billing Aquadrome residents and holidaymakers have been warned by the site’s manage team that they may need to ‘evacuate immediately’ if heavy rainfall continues.

A Billing Aquadrome spokesman said: “Heavy rain is currently falling in the Nene catchment. We expect Billing Aquadrome to be affected at some point during the night, Monday into Tuesday, and are issuing this warning proactively to give sufficient notice to take action. Further heavy rain is forecast for Tuesday (January 2) and therefore river levels are expected to continue to increase. Remain safe and be aware of your local surroundings. Please avoid contact with flood water.

"Our staff are out in the area to check the flood defences, clear blockages, and assist the emergency services and council. We will be closely monitoring the situation and this message will be updated by 4pm on Tuesday, or before if the situation changes.

“Please ensure that you are ready and prepared in case we need to start evacuating the area. With the escalated flood warning now in place, the on-park teams will continue to monitor water levels, and should anything change, we may need to evacuate immediately. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.”

Billing Aquadrome management have advised residents and holidaymakers of considering taking the following action:

- Move family and pets to a safe location.

- Businesses: Inform staff and customers, ensure their safety, and relocate stock to a secure place.

- Safely move vehicles to higher ground.

- Use professionally supplied flood protection equipment (barriers, air brick covers, pumps).

- Move valuable items upstairs, starting with irreplaceable personal items and then valuables.

- Pack a bag with essentials for a few nights away, including a torch, mobile phone, charger, warm clothes, home insurance info, water, food, first aid kit, and necessary medications or baby care items.

- Turn off gas, electricity, and water mains before floodwater enters.

- Alert neighbors if safe and offer assistance.

- Follow emergency service advice and be prepared to evacuate, ensuring pets are accommodated.

- Avoid walking, cycling, or driving through floodwater, as even a small amount can be dangerous.

- If in contact with floodwater, wash hands thoroughly due to potential pollution.

Previous floods at the site

Billing Aquadrome in Crow Lane was evacuated on Christmas Eve 2020 after heavy rainfall the day before caused parts of the park to be five foot deep in flood water.

Emergency services were called to rescue around 250 people stuck in their homes and around 1,000 residents had to evacuate the site.

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