Burst pipe devastates Worthing United FC's Clubhouse

Mark Sanderson arrived at Worthing United FC to drop off football kits on Sunday morning to find a "waterfall coming out of the ceiling and half the ceiling on the floor".

He said: "I could hear the sound of rushing water. I stepped into the clubhouse and was standing in about two inches of freezing cold water. It was a couple of minutes of sheer panic.

"I stood there for about ten seconds thinking 'mains, where's the mains?'."

Mark said the club have received a number of messages of support from other teams in the league (Image: Worthing United FC)

Mark turned off every tap he could find until one stopped the flow of water.

"I was pretty distraught to be honest," he said.

"I phoned my wife to gain some sympathy. I started to think what would have happened if this was in my own home."

Mark's wife Helen hurried from their home in Goring to the clubhouse in Lyons Way to help clear up the mess, helped by daughter Ellie and her boyfriend.

"We got two mops and buckets, with a wet and dry hoover and we just got on with it," Mark said.

He believes the burst was a result of the recent cold weather.

He said: "With the frozen pitches, games have been postponed. The building has been unused for a couple of weeks. I think a frozen pipe thawed overnight and split."

Temperatures reached as low as -3 on Friday (Image: Worthing United FC)

The football team is run on a voluntary basis and several people stepped in to help.

Mark said: "There are a lot of parents, coaches and adults involved and a couple of the guys with plumbing experience came forward and helped.

"The local football community comes together in times of disaster, and the league have been very sympathetic.

"The whole football family is quite a close knit group. If you need them, they're there."