April 14, 2018 by blackfenpastandpresent

Remember the burst water pipe in 2004?

In March 2004 a burst water pipe in Blackfen Road caused the flooding
of one hundred homes. Water levels rose to more than four feet and
people were forced to retreat upstairs, trying to lift their valuables above
the water. The most serious flooding was in Penshurst Avenue and Maple Crescent. Stranded residents were rescued by police dinghy and the Salvation Army dispensed hot drinks while Thames Water dealt with the emergency. Local schools were shut and Blackfen Road was closed for resurfacing, affecting business for shops. Some families had to be housed in hotels while their homes were repaired.

The incident was reported in the Evening Standard: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/sidcup-runneth-over-6946186.html

and BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3505588.stm

Penshurst_burst water main_2004

August 10, 2014 by blackfenpastandpresent

Where The Shuttle Flows

Blackfen’s roads were notoriously muddy (it wasn’t called a ‘fen’ for nothing!) and when the district was transformed in the 1930s from woodland and fields to housing and shops there were problems with flooding.

In the Kentish Times 14 January 1938 a columnist wrote, in a rather eccentric fashion, an account of a less than enjoyable night walk in the Blackfen area: Where the Shuttle Flows.