A Flood Alert was issued for Groundwater flooding in West Dean, Singleton, Charlton, East Dean and Chilgrove in West Sussex on 17th March 2026. Affected watercourses included the Groundwater.
During this event, FloodRadar monitoring gauges recorded notable rises. The River Rother at Lodsbridge rose 0.21m, peaking at 1.26m, while the River Rother at Iping Mill climbed 0.09m.
Environment Agency advice issued
Groundwater is high, very close to the surface, but now falling. Springs will continue to appear, water will be in fields, small amounts of water will flow down roads, groundwater will affect the ability of the sewage network to operate in East Dean, Charlton, Singleton and West Dean, and may appear in a small number of basements. Only showers, or small amounts of rain are forecast over the next 5 days to Saturday 21/03/2026. Groundwater at at both Chilgrove and East Dean boreholes is expected to continue to fall. It is probable that groundwater will continue to fall throughout March, although
Monitoring gauges during this event
| Station | River | Rise | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lodsbridge | River Rother | +0.21m | 1.26m |
| Iping Mill | River Rother | +0.09m | 0.52m |