VIDEO: Fire service starts to remove flood water from tunnel

Firefighters have been working this morning (February 6) to pump the water from a tunnel linking Maidenbower and Furnace Green following a residents' petition.

By The Newsroom

Published 6th Feb 2014, 14:18 BST

Updated 8th Jun 2018, 06:14 BST

jpco-12-2-14 Fire service pump out flooded Maidenbower school railway tunnel walk way (Pic by Jon Rigby)

The tunnel has flooded for years and the most recent rain has led to people taking long detours into Crawley town centre to travel between the two neighbourhoods.

Oriel School in Maidenbower has said its 300 students, who live on the Furnace Green side and normally walk to school, have been faced with a three-mile journey to school.

This week Network Rail, the landowner, said it was working with West Sussex County Council and Crawley Borough Council to find a permanent solution to the problem.

However this morning a fire crew was there pumping the water into the drains. They were called away to an emergency, but some of the floodwater has been cleared.

The councils and Network Rail have been approached for comment.