‘Screaming for something to be done’: NSW town repeatedly cut off by floods demands safe evacuation route

Pitt Town residents call for better escape plan after authorities forced to find key for locked backup gate

• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our free news app; get our morning email briefing

Residents of Pitt Town on the flood-prone Hawkesbury-Nepean River found their designated evacuation route cut by rising water last Wednesday, forcing authorities to locate a gate key to open up the only other path out of the historic centre.

That route has been partly under water twice again since Sunday, with another blockage possible on Tuesday amid yet more forecasts for heavy rain. The Bureau of Meteorology was predicting major flooding of the river, in places possibly exceeding both last week's highs and those of March 2021.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning