Flooding has affected forecourts in several areas of the south with one forced to close after a nearby river burst its banks and road closures blockading business at another site.
The worst affected site was an Esso-owned service station at Romsey in Hampshire. Pictures of its forecourt under floodwater were posted on a blog called Countryside Tales.
An Esso spokesman said: “The Esso Greatbridge service station in Romsey was closed on Saturday due to flooding of the River Test. The service station will remain closed until further notice.”
Meanwhile, there has been a massive downturn in trade at the BP site in Whyteleaf, Surrey.
The 24-hour service station, which features an M&S Simply Food and a Wild Bean Café, is on the A22, a main route out of London.
It would usually have a huge passing trade, but the road has been closed on both sides of the service station since February 5 because of flooding.
The water came up to the perimeter of the site but it is still in operation and is serving the occasional local residents who ignore the ‘road closed’ signs.
Police are not allowing any deliveries through, so the shop is running short of fresh supplies, but with so little business it still has plenty of fuel.
Local authorities were unable to say when the road might reopen.
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