Sunderland Royal Hospital hit by flooding as firefighters remove 50,000 litres of water

Firefighters were called to the hospital after a courtyard flooded and water began to flow into the surrounding IT suite.

Around 50,000 litres of water was removed from the courtyard after Storm Miguel hit the region bringing heavy rains.

Three appliances were called to Sunderland Royal Hospital at 9.41am.

A crew from Marley Park was joined by two from Sunderland Central as they pumped out the water, which had come up to around 1ft within the courtyard and covered an areas spanning 200m by 300m.

A spokesman for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said: “Crews were called to Sunderland Royal Hospital where a courtyard was flooded and water had entered the surrounding IT suite.

“Around 50,000 litres of water was removed from the area.

“An aqua vacuum was used and 20 aquasacs to protect the high risk area.

“It was then left in the hands of the hospital staff who also had aquasacs.”

Crew manager Nicola Pattison, who is based at Marley Park, said the water was pumped into an outside drain using three light pumps, with the only carpets damaged during the incident.

She added: “The crews did a fantastic job and so did the hospital staff.

“We all worked together really well.”