Brighton: A23 Preston Road pub floods days after being renovated

Natasha Arghiros said The Preston Brewery Tap in Preston Road, Brighton, was filled with sewage water after heavy rain caused drains in the road to overflow. 

"I am so upset. It has ruined everything I have been working towards," she said. 

Natasha had been renovating her pub ahead of the summer, a busy time for her and her staff.

She said the flooding, which happened on June 20, was the fourth time it has happened to the pub since 2018 and she criticised the city council for not clearing the drains.

Natasha said there was “black gunk” on the walls and floors as rain and drain water gushed into the pub.

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A suction tube being used to suck water out of the pub (Image: Preston Brewery Tap)

She was “devastated” by the damage, especially as it happened ahead of big events in Preston Park which always bring in more customers.

With more rain forecast in the coming weeks, she is worried the same thing could happen again.

Flooding in the pub (Image: Preston Brewery Tap)

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said: “The drainage gully in Preston Road was cleaned on June 16 but the amount of rain that fell on June 20 when the flooding occurred was extreme and the network of gullies connected to the Southern Water network could not have coped with the exceptional volume of water.

“The premises in question has a low threshold and the building’s gutters discharge on to the footway. Both are factors that do not help.

Flooding on the A23 outside the pub (Image: Preston Brewery Tap)

“When there are exceptional volumes of water the networks of pipe cannot discharge it all, leading to localised flooding. 

“We are working with Southern Water to try and reduce the times this occurs by ensuring gullies and pipes are clear.

“But residents and businesses have to work with us to reduce the amount of water flowing from their properties. 

“We are also working to introduce more sustainable drainage where water is filtered away from the Southern Water network through utilising special features in grass verges.”