North Sea flood of 1978 was a storm surge which occurred over 11–12 January causing extensive coastal flooding and considerable damage on the east coast of England between the Humber and Kent. Higher water levels were reached than during the devastating North Sea flood of 1953 from North Shields to King's Lynn, but values were lower towards the Thames. Locally severe flooding occurred in Lincolnshire, The Wash, north Norfolk and Kent. Improvements in flood protection following the devastating flood of 1953 meant that the catastrophic losses seen during that storm were not repeated. The storm caused severe damage to many piers along the east coast of England.
Meteorological history
On 10 January 1978 a small wave depression formed in the Atlantic around 54N 15W in a trough extending from a depression close to SW Iceland. This low deepened and moved towards Ireland and then merged with the parent low deepening to 986 hPa close to the Isle of Man. The next day the depression moved over the UK and the pressure gradient increased. Strong winds affected the north and east coast of England.
Warnings and preparation
Flood warnings were issued two to three hours before the highest water levels in the coastal towns of Lincolnshire. Clement Freud the Member of Parliament for North East Cambridgeshire called for an inquiry into the failure of the flood warnings in East Anglia. The Junior Minister Shirley Summerskill reported that an "Alert" message was received by Police in Wisbech at 0705 hours and a further message at 1414 hours confirming that there was danger of tidal flooding at 1928 hours. On receipt of the second message, the Fenland District Council was notified immediately. The message was passed simultaneously to the Anglian Water Authority by the Cambridgeshire Constabulary headquarters. Gavin Strang of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food responded that the storm tide warning service issued an alert to the Norfolk Police at 0625 hours and a warning at 1318 hours on 11 January in relation to the Norfolk coast as far east as Mundesley. An alert for the coastal area to the East and South of Mundesley was issued at 1150 hours and a warning at 1810 hours. The police are responsible for passing on these messages to other authorities.
Impact
Humberside and Lincolnshire
In Humberside a police car was swept away by the rising waters at Spurn Point. In Cleethorpes a total of 1,500 houses were affected by flooding during the event. 1,017 houses were flooded above floor level, a further 185 houses were flooded below floor level and 288 houses had their gardens flooded. It was estimated that £1,600,000 (1978) worth of damage was caused to private property and goods in Cleethorpes. One of the big differences between 1978 and the storm surge during the Gale of January 1976 in the town, was that damage occurred much further inland. Damage was reported up to three-quarters of a mile away from the sea wall. In Cleethorpes the damage spread over an area of in total. The railway between Grimsby and Cleethorpes was left inoperable as the ballast was washed out from under the track. Further south on the Lincolnshire coast the resorts of Sandilands and Mablethorpe saw 28 homes and 8 business premises left underwater, with caravans and chalets along the Lincolnshire coast damaged. In Boston, Lincolnshire following the failure of a brick retaining wall, St Botolph's Church and 180 houses were flooded. Waters in the church exceeded the levels seen in 1953.
In Sutton Bridge Wharf Street and Customhouse Street flooded as water overflowed the banks of the River Nene.
East Anglia
In Cambridgeshire extensive flooding was reported in Wisbech, including the Clarkson Geriatric Day Hospital, which had to be closed for weeks as repairs were made (the hospital closed permanently in 1983). A 70-year-old woman was reported drowned in her flooded home in Wisbech after the River Nene burst its banks on both Brinks forcing 1000 people to evacuate their homes. The home of Geoff Hastings was flooded destroying thousands of photos taken over two decades, years later the negatives were found on a shelf untouched by floodwater and archived in Wisbech & Fenland Museum. Staff at the Wisbech Standard, having been warned of a potential flood, went to one of the town's bridges and saw the waters rise, then recede, thinking the town had narrowly escaped they returned home, not realising until the morning that the town's west and north wards had flooded.