Flooding victims 'so happy' to finally return home

People who had to move out of their homes and into temporary accommodation due to flooding have been allowed to return home after eight months.

Emergency services were called to Bulwer Street in Bootle, Merseyside, on 30 September after water started gushing into people's homes, with many requiring rescue boats to get out safely.

It was the second major flooding incident reported on the road in the last 14 years and left dozens of residents effectively homeless as their living spaces became submerged.

Some of the residents told the Local Democracy Reporting Service they were glad to be home but worried about the prospect of this happening again in future.

"It has happened before, so we kind of knew what to expect, but still, it is a huge shock to have to leave your house when all the sewage water is coming in," said Linda Crilly.

"Now that more and more people are back home there is a sense of relief but it's tempered with a bit of caution."

She said the response had been "a lot better this time, in the sense that we've had people with contact numbers and names that we can get in touch with if there's been any problems".

Sarah, 34, who lives with her 13-year-old daughter Izzy and her guide dog Ronnie, said: "We were living in a hotel for several weeks before we actually got a temporary home, and that was stressful enough, because we were moving from hotel to hotel," she said.

She said they were "so happy to be back home but when it rains it does make you worry".

Residents held a celebration event on Friday where they presented a representative of the company tasked with the clean-up operation with gifts to thank her for her support.

Sarah said Paula Prescott from the Forshaw Group "has been amazing and done so much including giving me a hug", adding that "we'd be lost without her".

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