Residents describe 'frightening' floods in the East a year on

Those affected by the floods which hit the region a year ago have spoken about their "frightening" experiences.

Residents in parts of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Northamptonshire were all evacuated over Christmas.

The rainfall in Bedfordshire also caused water to rise at a level not seen since the Easter flooding in 1998.

Karen Brine, from Alconbury Weston, Cambridgeshire, said she "lost photo albums and things like that which can't be replaced" in the floods.

The village was hit in heavy rainfall which began on 23 December 2020.

Mrs Brine said she had 35 inches (90cm) of floodwater through her ground floor.

"We were completely cut off, no power, it was cold, it was dark, it was frightening," she said.

She had "never seen the water as high as it was", she added.

With the help of a neighbour she put her furniture and belongings on stools in an attempt to keep them out of the water, "but it went up above the stools so we lost a lot of things", she said.

"We were safe, as were people in the village and ultimately that's what's important," Mrs Brine said.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 people were evacuated from Billing Aquadrome park in Northampton last year, when heavy rain left water up to 5ft (1.5m) deep.

Resident Brianne Desousza said: "Basically we were all flooded, had to move off and go to hotels so we didn't have such a nice Christmas."

She said the floodwater "just came from every direction, it was frightening at the time".

But Ms Desousza said: "Everybody coped and within a few days it was back to normal."

She said the holiday park was getting ready to celebrate Christmas this year. "Spirits are high and hopefully we won't flood," she said.

Alison Thomas is a county councillor and a district councillor for South Norfolk and her home in Long Stratton was one of those hit after a month's worth of rain fell in just 24 hours, on 23 December 2020.

She said: "We were going out and I was a bit concerned there was quite a lot of water collecting on the A140.

"When we came home just after 10, our house was surrounded by water and we then battled to stop it getting in but failed miserably."

She said the water had come up through the floorboards and she "went in to salvage mode to save as much of our furniture and possessions as we could".

Ms Thomas said she had about 10in (25cm) in the house, which had receded the following morning.

She said: "I naively thought if we mop up things will be OK, but even that small amount of water does a huge amount of damage.

"We had to move out for eight months. Basically everything downstairs had to be redone, we lost our cooker, our fridge, all our electrical items."

Some 1,300 people were evacuated from their homes in Bedford last Christmas when the River Great Ouse burst its banks.

A report said the borough experienced "widespread and exceptional flooding" between 23 and 26 December 2020, with 65 properties flooded.

The Environment Agency said it had since invested £30m to stop a repeat.

It said it had inspected and repaired thousands of flood defences in the area and now had an improved flood warning service, with the 25 highest risk areas receiving earlier flood warnings than ever before.

An Environment Agency spokesman said residents should sign-up for flood warnings and prepare for flooding by doing things "such as moving valuables upstairs away from floodwater, and keeping medicines and documents in a bag".

He said: "We can't prevent flooding completely. Climate change is making extreme weather like the storms we've had in 2021 more likely.

"But we can all be as prepared as possible by checking our flood risk, and knowing what to do if flooding hits."

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