A PROFESSIONAL golfer has told how he ran for cover after a lightning storm flooded a course and took down power and phone lines.

Matt Southgate, 26, the European tour professional at Thorpe Hall Golf Club, was caught up in storms which caused flooding across the borough.

Mr Southgate was on the course for a practice when the storm started battering the club with lightning, which took out the power.

Yesterday the Echo told how roads had been turned into rivers as heavy rain fell on the area.

Mr Southgate said: “The lightning was so close to the club. I’ve never seen or heard anything so close to me. There was a real cracking sound, it was scary.

“Normally, watching a storm is fun, but not this, I’ve seen it happen in places like South Africa, but I never thought I’d see it here.

“I’ve never seen the course flood as quickly as that. For a half0hour it couldn’t have rained harder. I saw a couple of bolts of lightning so I ran in. The greens just flash-flooded within five minutes.

“I came back yesterday not expecting to play, but it had all drained away. It’s quite remarkable what the green staff have done. I was gobsmacked.”

Keith Sims, club general manager, said his staff were in the club office when the storm struck on Monday afternoon.

He said: “We went through our normal evacuation procedure at about 4pm when the storm was approaching, but there wasn’t really anyone left out there.

“Thankfully, we don’t seem to have suffered any damage, but my staff said it all happened so quickly.

“The thunderclaps and lightning were together and then things went dead.

“I came in yesterday morning and the power was still out, so an electrician came to sort that out, but all our systems run on phone lines, so it has had a big impact on us.

“What the green team did to get the course playable again was amazing, so at least we could open.”

Residents trapped in their homes as they coped with third deluge in 3 years

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

The scene on Woodgrange Drive, Southend, on Monday afternoon

RISING floodwater meant residents backing on to the golf course were trapped in their homes as the storm made Woodgrange Drive impassable.

The flood was the third in as many years, with some residents describing it as the worst yet.

Driveways to houses on the approach to the roundabout with Thorpe Hall Avenue were totally submerged as drains failed to cope with the day’s persistent heavy rain and then the late afternoon downpour. A faulty Anglian Water pump has been blamed for the flood, but residents are concerned at the frequency at which water threatens their homes.

Eileen Watson, 46, of Woodgrange Drive, said: “Earlier on Monday the toilet was blocked and there was a gurgling sound in the pipes in the house.

“Even before the heavy rain, I could see water bubbling up from drains in the road, so I called Anglian Water before 2pm and they said someone would be out to have a look.

“Then all hell broke loose and the smell of sewage all over the place was horrible.

“We had a power cut on Sunday night, so I don’t know if that was what made the pump stop working.

“Anglian Water did come out and the water disappeared quickly afterwards, but it’s worrying it’s the third summer in a row this has happened.”