Seaside trip to bring back memories

A vintage bus that was stranded in the East Coast floods 60 years ago today is aiming to beat the weather this time round to make it to an anniversary ceremony.

The 1935 Leyland bus is being driven to the exact spot in Sutton-on-Sea, Lincolnshire, where it was marooned by flood waters on January 31, 1953.

In the driving seat will be Mr John Marshall, the owner of Marshalls Coaches of Sutton-on-Trent, who has owned the bus since 1988.

He attempted the same trip ten years ago, but had to abort at Horncastle because of heavy snow.

He was relieved the bulk of the wintry weather had passed this time.

“The snow has gone now,” he said. “It can cope with a bit but there is no heater so I’ll have to wear my thickest coat.

“I did have a fright though when the town council rang me up to tell me it had snowed.”

Mr Marshall will park in the same spot opposite the Beach Hotel where the coach was overcome by sea water which flooded Sutton-on-Sea.

According to a newspaper report Mr Marshall has from the time, the bus could have been completely submerged if it had carried on just a few yards further.

There is still a flood line in the driver’s cab which shows the water reached up to 4ft 11ins, and the seats are the same ones that passengers sat on the backs of to avoid the rising water.

Mr Marshall will be greeted by members of Mablethorpe and Sutton Town Council and will give them a ride in the bus.

There will then be a church service followed by the unveiling of a plaque at a community centre in Mablethorpe.

Mr Marshall, 67, said it brought back memories of the floods from when he was a young boy.

“We went to the east coast with some friends at the time the floods were going down and saw the devastation, and I can remember it quite vividly,” he said.

“I can also remember riding back to Newark on buses like this.”

He said the bus, which has done over a million miles in its lifetime and has an old-fashioned crash gearbox, was still “fantastic” to drive.

“It is difficult to manoeuvre in tight spaces but going along the country lanes it is super,” he said.

“It is incredible really because there are only two of them left and this is the oldest. The other one is in a museum in Lincoln.”