Adverse weather conditions over the weekend caused road closures in both the St. James’ and Pennsylvania areas of Exeter. Sustained heavy rainfall through Friday night caused the collapse of the embankment which supports the visitors’ stand of St. James’ Park Stadium, while a burst water main on Pennsylvania Road caused an excess of surface water which led to the closure of St. Germans Road for a period on Saturday afternoon.
The collapsed embankment is due to undergo repairs from today, amidst concerns that the collapse, which damaged a student’s car, might threaten Exeter City’s home fixture against Rochdale on Easter Monday. It was feared that the damaged wall might necessitate the closure of the visitor’s stand for the match, but Exeter City’s Chief Executive Julian Tagg is confident that the game will go ahead. Saying that an initial assessment of the damage cooled fears surrounding the fixture, he added that “it is yet another challenge which I have no doubt that the club and supporters will rise to and resolve as they always do.”
Firefighters were called to the scene early on Saturday morning after receiving a call about a collapsed structure with the possibility of people trapped, but the use of thermal imaging and a rescue dog soon showed that no people were hurt in the incident.
St. Germans Road was also closed on Saturday afternoon after surface water on the road made driving unsafe. Both Maintenance and South West Water staff were on the scene, and the road was soon reopened. Despite warnings to the contrary, Exeposé understands that local water supply was not disrupted.
The weather outlook for Exeter is unlikely to improve this week, with freezing temperatures predicted up until Good Friday, when sleet is expected to create hazardous driving conditions that should last throughout the Easter weekend.
Owen Keating, News Editor
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