The Floods of 2012

The summer of 2012 and Weymouth and Portland were poised to appeared in the eyes of the world…they had proudly become the hosts of the 2012 Sailing Olympics and Paralympics.

A couple of weeks before all and sundry were due to arrive so too the rain!

For the first time since 1955 (the year yours truly was born) Radipole Lake overflowed, the sluice gates that should have released the flood waters into the harbour couldn’t cope.

Radipole park and gardens…and the road, became a veritable river.

Not that some didn’t take the opportunity to indulge in their passions such as the canoeists shown above paddling their way down Radipole Park Drive!

In one sense the gardens looked almost magical, their colours reflected in the waters…

…but in another, it spelt disaster for many of these wonderful old trees.

The sodden ground could no longer support their top heavy leaf laden boughs and ripped their roots right out.

As the flood waters slowly receded people had to rescue stranded fish who found themselves left floundering on dry land.

It wasn’t only the gardens that suffered, those businesses that lay within the ancient floodplain also took a hit.

2012 was certainly not a year to forget!