The River Cam broke its banks yesterday in central Cambridge following prolonged and occasionally intense periods of rainfall overnight. The Daily Mail reports that police have called the flooding the worst the city has seen for twenty years. 

An Environment Agency red flood warning remains in place for "Grantchester, Newnham Croft and the Colleges" as water levels through Cambridge "are still rising in places". An amber flood alert is in force for the lower Cam. However, no further significant rainfall is expected, although the ground remains saturated. 

For homes and businesses along the Cam, the cost of repairing damage caused by flood waters is likely to run into thousands of pounds. The Anchor pub and restaurant on Silver Street was flooded today as river levels peaked. It is one of many riverside properties to be affected.

Anglian Water have also warned that there is a risk of sewers bursting. All this comes after a period of flooding in Cambridge over the Christmas period, in what has been a wet start to 2014. 

Support Varsity

Varsity is the independent newspaper for the University of Cambridge, established in its current form in 1947. In order to maintain our editorial independence, our print newspaper and news website receives no funding from the University of Cambridge or its constituent Colleges.

We are therefore almost entirely reliant on advertising for funding and we expect to have a tough few months and years ahead.

In spite of this situation, we are going to look at inventive ways to look at serving our readership with digital content and of course in print too!

Therefore we are asking our readers, if they wish, to make a donation from as little as £1, to help with our running costs. Many thanks, we hope you can help!