Suffolk town's response during Storm Babet praised

The town was hit particularly badly when the county was battered by downpours on Friday, with roads in the town becoming impassable due to flooding from the Mere.

READ MORE: Cars submerged in Framlingham as Storm Babet batters Suffolk

Cars in Elms car park became submerged in water, while Framlingham Methodist Church was also affected.

Electrical equipment in the kitchen at the Railway Inn was also damaged (Image: Laura Robinson)

The ground floor of the retirement housing complex Elms Housing Care was also inundated, resulting in the 20 residents being evacuated.

However, possibly the worst damage was suffered by the Railway Inn pub in Station Road, where landlady Laura Robinson is now facing the prospect of being unable to open her business again until potentially the New Year.

READ MORE: Framlingham residents urged to move cars as flooding eases

Foul-smelling water full of sewage flooded the ground floor of the pub up to knee height on Friday evening, destroying tables and chairs and much of the electrical equipment in the kitchen.

Tables and chairs were also destroyed in the Railway Inn (Image: Submitted)

The drain water also poured into the pub's rear garden, with levels reaching 'chest height' at their highest point.

Laura said she had only been running the pub for eight months and was only covered by business insurance as the premises was not in a flood zone, which meant she would not receive a pay-out for damage to the structure of the building.

She added: "I was in floods of tears on Friday and floods of tears again on Saturday. I have put in eight months of hard work and that is all gone now."

Cars were submerged by flooding from Framlingham Meer (Image: Charlotte Bond)

She hoped to be able to reopen within a month, but said there was a chance the pub may not be able to reopen until the New Year.

A multi-agency approach was initiated to tackle the problems presented by the flooding, with East Suffolk Council setting up an emergency operations base to coordinate the response at the offices of the town council in Church Street.

READ MORE: Framlingham news

The local charity Hour Community also played a major role by helping to set up emergency accommodation for residents at the Castle Community Rooms in Church Street.

Station Road in Framlingham was also flooded (Image: Simon Scott)

Nick Corke, the charity's chief executive, said shops and organisations around the town helped to set up the rooms by supplying food and drink, duvets and pillows, while the town's scouts provided the beds.

Initially, the accommodation was aimed at the 20 evacuated Elms Housing Care residents, but the majority of them went to stay with family and instead many of those who stayed at the castle rooms were workers who could not get to their homes on the other side of town.

READ MORE: Suffolk news

By Saturday morning, most of the workers were able to return home as the floods receded, while two Elms residents were found accommodation at a Travelodge hotel in Ipswich.

The garden at the Railway Inn was also deluged (Image: Laura Robinson)

Mr Corke said: "We are used to helping people out and doing that sort of thing; we know where to get the support."

He said that the charity had gained experience of responding to an emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic and knew people in the community who could be called upon during similar situations.

"We knew that when the chips were down, the Framlingham community would come out and do its bit," Mr Corke added.

Town clerk James Overbury also praised the town's community spirit.

He said the town council was supporting East Suffolk Council, which had an emergency plan for dealing with flooding incidents.

He added residents whose homes had been flooded had been found temporary accommodation so it was now a question of assessing the damage, which would be done on Monday.

"The community spirit in Framlingham has been brilliant. Hour Community just stepped up to the mark and immediately opened up the Castle Community Rooms where 20 people stayed last night," Mr Overbury said.