Caesarean Tennis Club hit by severe flooding

Jonathan Rubber, manager of the Caesarean Tennis Club, sits in one of the fast-flooding bubbles Picture: JON GUEGAN

THE CAESAREAN TENNIS CLUB was on tenterhooks late yesterday after severe flooding in the Grand Vaux valley.

The club was under several feet of water caused by the persistent rain, with concerns that the two bubbles that cover six of the tennis courts could collapse.

One of the bubbles is powered by electricity to keep it inflated, the other by diesel. Club chairperson Sue Holland said that the power had been turned off and sand bags had been placed to protect the bubbles’ fans but with the rain showing no sign of relenting, there was a danger the water could eventually reach them and cause more permanent damage.

At the same time, the outside astro courts have also been flooded.

‘The amount of water is unbelievable,’ said Holland.

‘The astro courts are completely like a lake. The two bubbles are flooded and that is a worry.

‘Looking at the fans that keep the four-court bubble up, we’ve got sandbags all around it and we just hope that at least that keeps the bubbles up.

‘We have done everything we can but our next worry if the water keeps coming in and not receding it’s going to get into the clubhouse.’

More rain and hail showers are forecast for the rest of the week that will put more pressure on keeping the water at bay. And until the rain stops and the water recedes, the club will not know the amount of damage done.

‘We won’t know until the water goes and then we see what’s left,’ Holland added. ‘We’ve done as much as we can to divert or stop it. Unfortunately, nature is just taking its course now.

‘The manager [Jonathan Rubber] is down there doing all he can and we’ve got the fire brigade there and they’ve supplied as many sandbags as they could but they can’t pump out the water because there is nowhere to pump the water to and that’s the problem.’

The club, which has been situated at its current site since 1916, has not had much luck in recent times.

Almost three years ago to the day, the four-court bubble collapsed after high winds caused tears and one of the fans caught fire. The two-court bubble was installed in 2014 at a cost of £600,000.

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