Homes hit by foul flood

RESIDENTS in Cricklade who saw torrents of raw sewage pour through their homes have begun a long and messy clean-up operation.

Flash floods hit the town on Monday evening and as the rain poured down, the drains failed to cope, sending water into nearby homes.

But one family, who live in High Street, had a particularly nasty surprise when they returned home.

Dad Paul Lumsden, 41, opened the front door to be confronted by raw sewage rushing through his living room and hallway.

"The stench was disgusting," said the father-of-two, who works at RAF Fairford.

Weeks before, he had spent hours laying an oak floor which had been imported from France.

"I started to realise what it must have felt like for those people in Boscastle," he said.

"I was just shocked. What do you do in that situation? There's nothing you can do. It's totally devastating.

"And because it wasn't just rain water, there was a health issue too."

Mr Lumsden phoned his wife, Paula, 39, who was out at the time but quickly returned home to don her wellies and help clear up.

Their two children, Luke, 12, and Marc, eight, were sent to stay with their grandparents while their parents started clearing the sewage out.

"We have put so much into doing up this place," said Paula, a health visitor.

"When we bought it, it was in a real state, we've really worked hard on it. It's awful.

"All I could say was at least we have insurance, it was the only thing I could think to say. We were distraught.

"We just don't know when we'll be able to return.

"Obviously we've informed all of the relevant authorities but these things take time."

Neighbour Howard Butler, a former Evening Advertiser journalist, was also faced with similar problems.

He has lived in High Street since 1985 and says he has never seen such a damaging flood.

More than three inches of water flooded his kitchen and living room, soaking his furniture and carpet.

Yesterday, he was left wondering how best to begin the clean-up task.

"I knew there was a problem when I saw the rain lashing down," he said.

"I couldn't get my furniture out in time."

Neighbour Gerdie Schaffer was equally distressed.

She said: "When we get a lot of rain the drains just don't cope. We rang the council to say we needed sandbags but it said it would not supply us with them as it wasn't their responsibility."

Across the road, landlord and landlady Mark and Tracey Whittam, of The Red Lion pub, were dealing with their own flood.

Their cellar filled with water, causing an estimated £1,500 worth of damage.

But business continued as usual and the pub offered accommodation to those unable to return to their homes.

Wiltshire Fire Brigade received more than 60 calls for assistance between 4pm and 9pm on Monday as the torrential rain swept across north Wiltshire.

Among areas also affected were Minety and Malmesbury.

Two fire crews went out to assist Cricklade residents and helped pump water out of affected properties.

Chris Shipway, spokesman for Thames Water, said the company was aware there were severe storms in Cricklade on Monday evening.

But he said: "We are not aware of anyone from the High Street calling to register problems. We would be only too willing to send an engineer out to assist if a customer reports a problem."

Mr Shipway said it was hard to comment on the Lumsdens' case without knowing the specific details.

He added: "Sewers are not designed to work under water, so once submerged that can lead to flooding but I cannot say whether this is what happened in Cricklade."

Paul Langcaster, spokesman for North Wilts Council, said the authority does not automatically provide sandbags.

"It is a service that has been provided by the council in the past but it is discretionary. It is the homeowner's responsibility to protect their own property," he said.

Emma-Kate Lidbury