1978 North Sea storm surge
Margate jetty was badly damaged by the storm of 11–12 January 1978 leaving the beach littered with debris, piles of it were collected up and burned on the beach.
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| Type | European windstorm, Extratropical, Extratropical storm surge |
|---|---|
| Formed | 11 January 1978 |
| Dissipated | 12 January 1978 |
| Lowest pressure | 976 hPa (28.8 inHg) |
| Areas affected | United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Netherlands. |
| Surgewatch severity rating 5/6 | |
1978 North Sea storm surge 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.
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.
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