Nine people were rescued from a flooded pub in Canal Road, Strood, after the River Medway burst its banks.

Fire crews wore dry suits and used an inflatable boat to bring people to safety from the Boat House, after being called to the scene just after 3.30pm yesterday.

Two fire engines and a water safety unit attended, and one person was treated for suspected hypothermia before being passed into the care of ambulance crews.

A statement posted by the pub on Facebook said: "I'm afraid the boat house will be closed until Thursday after suffering a terrible flood.

"We aim to be open again on Thursday February 24. We will keep you posted.

"Would also like to thank staff and friends for all your help and support. Sorry for any inconvenience caused and we hope to see you all in the coming days once things have dried out."

The news was met with support from punters. One said: "How awful for you guys, so sorry. Stay safe and strong, we'll be back supporting you."

Another said: "After all the hard work you guys have put into the pub and what with Covid, it’s truly heartbreaking."

And several others wished them luck with the clean up.

It follows a run of bad luck at the pub - formerly the Riverside Tavern - which in recent years has had to contend with being fenced off by a nearby building scheme and flooding, not to mention the impact of the pandemic/

Landlord Luke Gallacher said the situation was "just terrible", and criticised Medway Council for failing to support the pub.
He suggested flood defences built to protect nearby development had not been extended to protect the pub, and as a result had forced floodwaters towards his business.

"Medway council have put us in this position and made our situation worse since the development of the area in 2018/2019," he said. "They simply do not care and I don't think they ever will.

"They should build up the river defence to join the pub wall. When they built the Riverside defence they stopped short either side of the pub by a few feet, so now when we have high tides it makes us very vulnerable."

He said he had also lost a van in the flood, while two staff members lost cars."

Medway Council has been approached for further comment.

Following the incident, firefighters are reminding people not to walk or drive through flood water - which is often a lot deeper than it looks.

If there is an immediate to risk to life, you need rescuing, or if your property is flooding, call 999 for help.