Flood victims 'just left' as water rises again

People living in a street where floodwaters have risen three times in the last week say they feel they have been left to deal with the situation themselves.

The level of the River Purwell in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, rose again on Tuesday night and a number of roads and gardens remain underwater.

Residents say no-one has been to test the floodwater and they fear it may be contaminated.

The Environment Agency said it was aware of several incidents in the area where floodwater was being contaminated with sewage

Holly Riley, of Woolgrove Road, said: "We had the flooding Sunday to Monday.

"That did go down again, then we had the Thursday to Friday flooding, which was much, much higher.

"That had almost gone, then we had more rain last night which raised it again, so that's three times in a week."

To make matters worse, sewage started appearing in Ms Riley's garden.

After several calls were made, Anglian Water came to clear a blocked drain, which removed the problem from Ms Riley's garden, but she is worried that the floodwater might be contaminated.

"The river is on a children's playground and others have said there is sewage on the playground," she said.

"The river's a really weird colour. Nobody has tested the water so none of us have any clue whether this water is safe or not.

"My children are walking through potentially sewage-contaminated water every time they leave the house; they can't flush the toilet, they can't have a shower because of the extra water."

She said residents had "just been left" in unsanitary conditions.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We have officers out in Hitchin today and are continuing to work with the affected communities there.

“We strongly advise members of the public to stay away from swollen and flooded rivers and flood water.

“We are aware of several incidents across the Great Ouse catchments where flood water is being contaminated with sewage due to the recent rainfall and storm discharges. We are in contact with Anglian Water around these incidents."

The flooding has forced the closure of Walsworth Community Centre.

Volunteers there had hoped to move some bookings from the main hall, which was flooded, to a smaller room, but that is looking unlikely to happen.

One of them, Heike Joachimi, said: "The two nearest drains are entirely blocked; we have more rain forecast.

"I am currently worried that we are being faced with more water maybe not in the building, because our sandbag barrier remains in place, but, with drains not working, access to the back room might be compromised."

North Hertfordshire Council has also been contacted for comment.

The latest flood warning for the River Purwell states: "River levels are falling but remain high downstream and are responsive to further rainfall.

"Flooding is still possible for the next few days"

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