Air-lift from Sawley

ONCE again Sawley Marina is flooded, with this time a resident boater who fell ill having to be airlifted as an ambulance could not gain entry.

The flood causes both the entrance to the marina and the roads serving the marina to be underwater, with the road closed, preventing motorised traffic from gaining entry, so in cases of emergency the only way out is by helicopter, that was called in to air-lift the elderly patient to hospital, Allan Richards tells us.

Two rivers

The problem of course is that the marina is situated on Sawley Cut just below the confluence of the rivers Trent and Derwent, and in the event of heavy rain is subjected to flood, as is the Derby Motor Boat Club on Sawley Cut.

However, the marina is protected by a flood lock, with the photograph above showing the lock during the flood in late November.

However, it had been raised, giving more protection, and does protect the marina to some degree, though this of course depends on the amount of flood water. The photograph shows the lock actually holding back the flood water—the lower level being the level of water in the marina.

In severe cases there is no access whatsoever to the marina, and the neighbouring pub that was built outside the gates is also flooded, and thus closed.