Account of near disaster (taken from Wikipedia)
An incident which had the potential to be catastrophic for London occurred on 27 October 1997. The dredger, MV Sand Kite, sailing in thick fog, collided with one of the Thames Barrier's piers. As the ship started to sink she dumped her 3,300 tonne load of aggregate, finally sinking by the bow on top of one of the barrier's gates where she lay for several days. Initially the gate could not be closed as it was covered in a thick layer of gravel. A longer term problem was the premature loss of paint on the flat side of the gate caused by abrasion. One estimate of the cost of flooding damage, had it occurred, was around £13 billion. The vessel was refloated in mid-November 1997.
Richard Doyle, Author, has written a book on flooding in London. It is a worst case scenario book but is a useful tool for learning about what could go wrong with London’s flood defenses. There is also a film called Flood. Richard Doyle’s website can be found below. Look particularly at the London flood map. It’s quite alarming!
Reporting on the 2007 Flood
Shiplake
This is a video about flooding in Shiplake, on the Thames. You can look up Shiplake in Google Earth or on a map.
Purley-on-Thames
Lechlade-on-Thames
THE THAMES REVIEW
To see the Thames Head download this link which will open in Google Earth. Link here.
