Homes evacuated in Lower Harlestone as residents relocate to safety at Northants hotel

The evacuees were moved from their homes to The Pytchley Inn in West Haddon, after being rescued to safety via inflatable sleds by the emergency services.

One resident told the Chronicle & Echo that the water had reached the ground floor windows of her family home, as everyone in the area attempted to move as many of their belongings upstairs as they could.

They could not bring anything with them as the priority was to move them to safety before the water rose any further.

The residents’ pets also had to be passed through windows to safety and livestock had to be relocated from a nearby field.

Many cars were also submerged and have been written off as a result of the height of the water.

It is not known how long the residents will remain at The Pytchley and if any progress has been made in removing the water from their homes.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed they received 29 calls on Sunday regarding weather-related incidents in Harlestone.

The fire service attended and helped evacuate people from flood water, while other cases have received advice over the phone – or have been helped by either Lowland or Northamptonshire Search and Rescue.

Just after 4.30pm yesterday (November 24), the service attended Delf Lane in Lower Harlestone and helped to rescue one person from flooding in a property to safety.

Shortly after, Swiftwater Rescue Technicians used inflatable sleds to rescue 15 people, four dogs and three cats from eight different properties on Rugby Road in the same area.

A multi-agency response is now underway to support everyone impacted by Storm Bert. Both the fire service and Northants Police received “a very high number of calls” overnight from people requesting help due to flooding, both in properties and on roads. This included Lower Harlestone.

A number of road closures are in place and police are advising people not to travel wherever possible.

A severe flood warning has also been issued for Billing Aquadrome and nearby business parks. This means that flooding could cause danger to life and significant disruption to communities.

All trains are suspended through the town, as Northampton Railway Station is closed. There are also no rail replacement buses as there is extensive flooding around the station. A number of schools are also closed for the day.

These pictures show the aftermath of Storm Bert as our town deals with severe flooding once again.