River Quaggy Flooding Near Eltham and Mottingham

The River Quaggy has flooded homes in the past, most famously in September 1968, but the risk near Eltham and Mottingham is much lower than it was. Sutcliffe Park was rebuilt in 2003 and 2004 as flood storage that can hold up to 85,000 cubic metres of water, with a second store at Weigall Road, and the scheme is said to protect around 600 homes and businesses in Lewisham and Greenwich. Lower is not zero: check your own address on the Environment Agency’s flood risk service and sign up for warnings if you are near the river.

Where does the Quaggy run?

Most people in SE9 know the Quaggy as the stream in Sutcliffe Park, if they know it at all. It is longer than that, about 17 kilometres, and it starts in Bromley.

• It rises near the Princess Royal University Hospital at Locksbottom, in Farnborough.
• Its upper course is called the Kyd Brook. It runs north under Petts Wood, where it is culverted, and is visible in the woods at Hawkwood.
• It passes through Sundridge Park golf course and Chinbrook Meadows.
• It runs through Mottingham and Middle Park on the Eltham side.
• It crosses Sutcliffe Park, between Eltham and Kidbrooke, where the flood storage is.
• It runs on through Lee and joins the Ravensbourne near Lewisham station.

So a heavy storm over Bromley Common and Chislehurst ends up passing through Mottingham and Eltham a few hours later.

What happened in 1968?

On 15 September 1968, after extreme rain, the Quaggy, the Ravensbourne and the Pool burst their banks and much of Lewisham flooded. The government’s own summary of the Lewisham and Catford flood alleviation scheme describes it as the last major flood there, with several hundred homes and businesses affected. Upstream in Bromley, the same month saw river flooding along most of the borough’s channels.

Over the last century long stretches of the Quaggy were put into channels and culverts to move water away fast, which tends to push the problem downstream.

How does Sutcliffe Park protect homes?

Work began in June 2003 to restore the river through Sutcliffe Park to an open, natural course, with the park itself shaped to act as a basin, and by 2004 it was transformed. In normal weather it is a park with a stream through it. In a big storm, the river spills into the park on purpose and the water is held there, up to 85,000 cubic metres, then released slowly once the peak has passed. A second storage area at Weigall Road holds up to 65,000 cubic metres.

Holding the water upstream means the river through Lee and Lewisham does not get the whole storm at once. Figures published by the Quaggy Waterways Action Group put the protection at around 600 homes and businesses.

So am I safe?

Probably safer than before, but no scheme removes risk entirely. Rain heavier than the scheme was designed for, a blocked culvert or a sewer that cannot cope can still put water where it should not be. Surface water flooding from storms, coming up through drains and gullies, is often more of a risk than the river itself.

What should I do now to be ready?

1. Check your address on gov.uk’s “Check your long term flood risk” service, and look at river and surface water results separately.
2. Sign up for free flood warnings on gov.uk if you are near the Quaggy or its tributaries.
3. Find your stopcock, your consumer unit and your gas meter, and make sure everyone in the house knows where they are.
4. Keep your insurer’s claim line and policy number saved in your phone.
5. Move valuable or irreplaceable items off the ground floor or into a high cupboard if you are in a mapped flood area.
6. If water has ever come up through a toilet or floor drain, ask a plumber about a non-return valve on the drain.

What do I do if water gets in?

• Switch off the electrics at the consumer unit if you can reach it without standing in water.
• Do not use toilets, sinks or showers if water is coming up through the drains.
• Photograph everything before you move it, and note the time and water depth.
• Call your insurer, get a claim number, and ask what they want done first.
• Keep damaged items until the insurer agrees they can go.

Once the water has gone down, have the plumbing checked: drains under the house, any pipework at floor level, and the hot water cylinder or water heater if it sat in water. A boiler that has been flooded must be checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer before it is turned on again, and if you smell gas, call National Gas Emergency on 0800 111 999.

Our insurance help page covers what a plumber’s report needs to say for a claim. If you are further downstream, our guide to Catford flood risk covers the Ravensbourne and the Pool. More on SE9 on our Eltham page.

Need a plumber now?

If water has come up through your drains or a flood has damaged your plumbing, Call 07868 281022. Tell us your postcode, where the water came in, and whether the electrics and water are off. We handle insurance claims work in Eltham and blocked and backed-up drains across SE9, and we agree the price with you before any work starts.