On Air Now
The Smooth Late Show with Martin Collins 10pm - 1am
Queen's Brian May says he's 'devastated' as he shares footage of flooded west London home
14 July 2021, 09:51
Brian May shows damage to his London home after rainfall appears to have caused sewage overflow
Queen guitarist Brian May has said he is 'heartbroken' after his flat in London was flooded.
Brian May has shared footage of his home after his belongings were ruined by flooding.
The Queen guitarist came home from a day at Royal Holloway College to find his flat in Kensington, London was hit by the flash floods.
Brian May says Freddie Mercury would still be performing with Queen today if he were alive
In a post on Instagram, the 73-year-old said: "The whole bottom floor had been inundated with a sewage overflow - which has covered our carpets, rugs and all kinds of precious (to us) things in a stinking sludge.
"It's disgusting, and actually quite heartbreaking. It feels like we have been invaded, desecrated."
He added that his wife, Anita Dobson, “had a lifetime of memorabilia on the floor of our basement - and most of it is sodden and ruined.”
The star continued: “I had rescued all my most treasured childhood photo albums and scrapbooks from my studio house because it was threatened with a forest fire some months ago.
A new Queen album? Brian May confirms the band are recording new music with Adam Lambert
“Where did I put it all for safety? In the basement here in Kensington. Irony. Today it turned into a sodden mess.”
Adding he is ‘devastated’, May said: “This stuff is only ‘things’ - but it feels like Back to the Future when the photograph fades - feels like a lot of my past has been wiped out.”
Alongside the post, Brian also shared a number of videos of his flooded house, including a glimpse of the sodden floors and furniture.
In another post, the guitarist blamed the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council for the flooding, saying they are "responsible for all the misery that is going on in my neighbourhood tonight".
The council has since released a statement which reads: “Our priority is to make sure residents who have been affected by last night’s flooding have the help they need”.
First video of Freddie Mercury: Unearthed footage of the shy Queen star as a student in 1964
A spokesman confirmed 120 residents had been placed in emergency hotel accommodation while repairs were underway.
They added: “Flash floods have affected boroughs across London after sudden and torrential rainfall.
“This is causing damage and disruption across the city, not just here in Kensington and Chelsea and is not linked to basement building.”
