Portchester family forced to flee flooded home as "highest ever" tide brings chaos to Portsmouth area

Portchester mum-of-two Cat Heggarty had to take her sons, aged 4 and 9 months respectively, to her mother’s house in Fareham in the middle of the night after her living space was “completely ruined” by the rising water. The rental property, in Hamilton Road, was overcome by seawater which left the house’s carpets sodden and lino perishing. It follows a night of intense wind and high tides - thought to be the highest ever recorded in the area.

Cat told The News: “At about half past one, I got woken up by someone knocking on my door telling me to move my car - because the road was getting too bad for the cars to be on there. All of my neighbours were out and I was deciding whether to stay or not - and then it just kept on rising. It was coming through the front door, the back door, and it was coming through the floors. The carpet was completely ruined in the lounge and, in the kitchen, all the lino is coming up. I thought ‘I’m going to have to go to mum’s’.” She added that the basement of her home is likely to be damaged more than the ground floor.

Cat said that she has been to inspect the property today and added: “my house is completely ruined.” Cat, who has lived at the address for two years, plans to stay with her brother tonight but does not know when she will be able to move back into the house. She not yet know the financial extent of the damage and is currently awaiting more information from her letting agency.