Open House residents work together to protect shelter from flood water

With three to four feet of water lapping at their doors, staff at the homeless shelter in Stephenson Way, Three Bridges, initially feared they would have to evacuate.

But, with the help of nearby builders’ merchant Crawley BuildBase, 39 bright orange bags were filled with sand and hauled to the Open House.

There are currently 24 people staying at the shelter, with a further six who have arrived throughout the day to shelter from the weather.

Deputy director Charlie Arratoon said: “We’ve just had an army of residents making sand bags.

“We’ve taken precautions to protect the rooms but there is three or four feet of water at the front.”

Charlie added a decision would be made at 4pm as to whether the shelter would need to be evacuated.