Pedestrians were unable to use the subway under Townwall Street on Monday when it flooded.

Regular users of the walk and cycle way, which connects Bench Street with New Bridge and is a vital link for people who live on the seafront to get into the town, say it is becoming a frequent occurrence.

Heavy rain at the weekend resulted in several inches of water across the entire width of the subway.

Elderly people, especially, found it impossible to walk through.

Although at least one elderly man was seen crossing the busy Townwall Street dual carriageway and stepping over the central reservation, others turned round and went back to make their way via the pedestrian crossings at the Woolcomber Street junction, or back to the York Street crossing and then along Snargate Street to the swing bridge, depending on which part of the seafront they wanted to access.

It was the latter, longer journey that Jan Goldsack has had to take at least twice in the past two weeks to reach work in Cambridge Road.

“It’s crazy,” she said. “It was bad enough on Monday after the heavy rain.

“But it was even worse two weeks ago when the storm swept through the area. The water was much deeper then.

“You just can’t get through it unless you want to paddle through dirty water and when it dries out it’s even more dangerous because what is left is quite slippery, and that could cause some people to fall.”

Mrs Goldsack, who lives in London Road, said she now knows she has to leave early to get to work on time if it is raining.

The Highways Agency said there had been a “minor problem” with the pump but it was repaired on Monday afternoon.

For full story see this week's Dover Mercury.