HOMES were evacuated after a section of riverside wall collapsed yesterday morning.

Fire crews, council officers and environment agency staff joined other relief staff in Arundel where a 30 foot section of a privately-owned flood wall fell into the river.

The dangerous structural collapse follows days of heavy rains and flooding across the county.

A spokesman for West Sussex Fire and Rescue told The Argus that boat teams from the service had been tending to the incident since the early hours of Friday morning.

She added that numerous agencies were working together to respond to the event, including the British Red Cross who were helping to look after householders who were taken from their River Road homes.

The Arun, which is tidal for much of its length, has a long history of flooding and significant defences against flooding and tidal swells mark much of its banks.

Its early name, “Tristantonis”, was recorded in geographical records dating to second-century Egypt.

The word means ‘the trespasser’ and is considered by academics to refer to the tendency of the waterway to meander across its route and flood land near the river.

Yesterday’s wall collapse worried Environment Agency staff who discovered bank erosion beneath the section of crumbling stonework, and worked by floodlight into the darkness to try to confirm the scale of the threat to homes and businesses after the three houses were evacuated.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “The Environment Agency and partners are busy assessing the damage to a privately owned flood wall that has collapsed in River Road, Arundel yesterday.

“Our specialist staff are on site, alongside Arun District Council officers, to inspect the defence and assist with any flood protection measures after a section of wall collapsed.

“The owners of the property concerned have been evacuated by the emergency services as a precaution due to a current period of high tides and elevated river levels on the River Arun.”

The agency warned homeowners across the county to remain vigilant as further heavy rain is expected this weekend and tide levels are as much as a metre higher than in December.

To check your flood risk go to gov.uk/check-if-youre-at-risk-of-flooding, and to find practical advice residents are advised to call Floodline on 0345 9881188.