Lifeboat crew rescue people from cafe after flood waters rise
Staff at Tanskeys Bistro in Merseyside realised they needed to be rescued when floodwater rushed to cover the road outside and was strong enough to move vehicles
This is the moment a lifeboat crew rescued café workers after high tides flooded a road.
Staff at Tanskeys Bistro in West Kirby were left stranded after the water rushed and flooded both the walkway and road earlier today. The rescue happened after the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for high winds.
Video filmed by bistro staff showed the parade and road completely covered with water. Snaps taken by bystanders also showed cars being shifted around by the waves.
"Once again it’s echoing 2013 (when flooding caused significant damage), with the high wind as well as the high tide," Hannah Cleator, manager of Tanskeys Bistro, told the Liverpool Echo. "It’s the wind that causes the problem but the problem this time is worse because of the £20m flood defence wall that hasn’t worked, clearly.
"The water can’t get back out into the lake so it’s trapped and it’s pushing against all the buildings so the wall has actually made it worse, not better, sadly. The staff persevered thinking it was going to subside, but unfortunately it got stronger and higher so the RNLI have now had to once again rescue the staff on their backs because the Coronation Gardens is also full of water."
A 0.6-mile sea wall was built in West Kirby between in September 2023 and was meant to protect seafront properties in the area from flooding. The £19.7 million wall shows gaps to allow access to the town’s promenade but these areas are gated off when there is a high risk of flooding, according to The Echo.
Johnathan Green, a self-described manager of Tanskeys Bistro, showed a video of the flood water in an April 4 post shared on X, formerly Twitter, adding: "20 million pounds well spent." Birkenhead and Tranmere Green Party councillor Pat Clearly responded: "The wall isn’t there primarily to stop water. It’s purpose is to remove energy from the waves."
Hannah Cleator shared what happened during the flooding ( Image: LiverpoolEcho)
The Met Office earlier today issued its yellow weather warning which was in place between 1 am and 3 pm today. Forecasters said the strong winds could bring "hazardous" coastal conditions and could also cause travel disruption.
A spokesperson for Wirral Council told The Mirror: "There has been flooding at a number of locations around Wirral’s coastal areas. The storm today has seen extremely high winds combined with higher than usual tides to cause water to come over floodwall at West Kirby.
"The floodwall in West Kirby was designed to act as a defence system to take power out of the tidal waves, to prevent higher levels of flooding and minimise potential damage in the area. As with all significant flooding incidents we will assess the flood defences in conjunction with the Environment Agency. While the weather conditions remain stormy it is advised to avoid the coastal areas."
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