London was hit by flash flooding on Tuesday, leaving businesses and homes in the heart of the capital’s prime shopping district badly damaged following incessant rain.
Cars and buses were seen slowly driving through several inches of floodwater in Knightsbridge, which recorded heavy overnight rain. Water could be seen seeping through the ceilings of luxury stores of the area, just metres from the Kuwaiti Embassy and Harrods.
Firefighters were forced to carry people over flooded streets during the clean-up operation. Among the businesses affected was Al Basha, an Egyptian restaurant that was forced to close as a result of the rain.Head chef Elias Sawaya told The National that all of the food would have to be thrown out. Mr Sawaya said as he surveyed his damaged kitchen and found rain water dripping from the ceiling on to containers meant to pack takeaway food. Floodwaters had rushed through the front door of the restaurant, into the bar area and down the stairs to the bathrooms, storerooms and kitchen.
Mr Sawaya said the downpour was a heavy blow after two years of difficult trading conditions. “Things were getting better after the pandemic, we were going upwards. Now we have to throw the food out,” said Mr Sawaya.
Magdy Khalil, owner of Al Basha restaurant, at 48 Knightsbridge, said his business could have been saved from much of the flooding if the drain running beneath the road had been unclogged sooner. “The problem is this happened before but we were here and we unblocked the drain and then the water went,” he explained. “The firefighter told me they couldn’t find the drain to unblock it. They should have a map or something. If we were here the problem would not have been this bad.”
Jacques Azagury, who has made dresses for Diana, Princess of Wales, and international royals, said his boutique had been hit hard. One wedding dress estimated to be worth £12,000 had been destroyed. He has more than 300 dresses on site.
“This might be sewage that came up from the drains,” he said. “If a dress is damaged it is ruined. No one wants to buy a dress that has been cleaned.
“We are working on dresses for two brides at the moment but if they have been destroyed we will have time to re-order material.”
Mr Azagury, who opened his store 35 years ago, said he will likely have to refurbish his boutique before it can be reopened.
Weather forecasters recorded about 35 millimetres of rain in nearby St James Park overnight, most of which fell within an hour.
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