A Dark Anniversary for Britain's East Coast

[Vicky Picks]

Anyone who thinks the British weather is getting wilder with each passing year should cast their mind back to this day 60 years ago.  On the night of 31st January to 1st February 1953 the east coast of Britain experienced one of the most catastrophic weather events in the nation's history when it was pummelled by violent storms which resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives.  Many of those whose lives were spared found themselves on rooftops awaiting rescue.

The trouble began over on the other side of the country when a ferry going from Scotland to Ireland was caught in the storm.  The passengers were forced to abandon ship and 130 of them died.  Then, as the storms worked their way down the east coast, a combination of high tides and rough seas left a trail of devastation.  In Lincolnshire, where the flatness of the land poses an ever-present threat from the sea, the flood defences which had been put in place proved unequal to the ferocity of the stormy sea as the waves breached them, resulting in over 140 drownings.  In Sutton On Sea, the sea opened a gap 900 feet wide in the seafront, and caused the land to flood for miles inland.  One of the worst-hit places was Canvey Island in Essex, where the entire population had to be moved to safety.  Since that terrible event flood defences have been bolstered further up and down the east coast, but there are still concerns that it may not be enough.

Aldeburgh, Suffolk, one of many low-lying towns on Britain's east coast