Circus left high and dry after downpour

Oct 9 2008

A controversial circus that rolled into town recently was left high and dry week when the River Penk broke its banks, temporarily stranding the performers and animals.

Peter Jolly’s Circus, which came under fire last month when protesters bombarded its live animal-based performances in Burntwood and Cannock, was left submerged in a field off Teddesley Road following its final performance on Sunday evening.

And performers were upset that no-one informed them that they had pitched their tent on a flood plain.

Ringmaster Peter Jolly told The Post: “The show still went on on Sunday, as usual. But the rains were torrential. The waters rose quickly.

“We had to move all of our vehicles and animals up to higher ground, which was a bit of a struggle given all of our equipment.

“The thing is, we didn’t realise when we rented the field that it was a flood plain.

“No-one told us. It’s a bit annoying, really. The Environment Agency, police, the fire brigade - none of them told us and none of them offered us any help. We had to do it all on our own.”

The floods were the result of a weekend of heavy downpours, which brought chaos to the Penkridge area.

In full, a fortnight’s rain fell over the weekend, and on Monday, the river’s banks burst.

The Environment Agency have now issued a flood watch on the River Penk, with more rain expected this weekend.