A spokesperson for the UK's largest developer said: "Work stopped over the weekend and on Monday because of our concerns over high winds, but we are back at work today [Tuesday]." Some small contractors in Kent and Sussex also took a battering on Monday but many had learned the lessons of flooding earlier in the month and taken precautions.
Malcolm Clarke, managing director of Baxall Construction in Tonbridge, Kent, said the firm had put more drainage into an Uckfield nursing home site that was flooded two weeks ago.
He said: "We lost a lot of time on Monday and Tuesday. Only 10-15% of staff managed to get to work on Monday, but by Tuesday it was up to 75%. But we lost production. We are all on tight programmes and it will take a while to catch up." John Ditton, managing director of Kent contractor Hurstway Construction, said: "A fortnight ago we had site toilets washed away, but this time the problem was that the workforce couldn't get to work and supplies were held up. On one site in Mayfield, East Sussex, we probably lost a whole day, on others we maybe worked at 25% on Monday." Mike Wigmore, managing director of Chivertons in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, and president of the Sussex Association of the National Federation of Builders, said: "The flooding and fallen trees made it difficult for operatives to get to work, but most live locally so we still had a good turn-out on Monday."
