A COUPLE who were flooded out of their home claim they have been abandoned following a lack of help from authorities.

Tom Cole, 66, and his wife Dianne, 60, of Hamilton Gardens, Hockley, are still living amongst dehumidifiers and dryers three months after flooding caused chaos across south Essex.

Flood water and sewage poured into their bungalow, ruining carpets and numerous items of furniture.

Mr Cole said they feel let down by Essex County Council, Anglian Water and their insurance company following the events of August 24.

He said Rodney Bass, county councillor for highways, denied responsibility on behalf of the authority for the flooding, despite a letter to Mr Cole from Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mark Francois stating County Hall was responsible for surface water flooding.

Mr Cole also claims Anglian Water has not taken any blame.

He said: “We were badly hit. At first we were sweeping it away for nearly three hours and then it stopped, but when it came back again it just beat us. Anglian Water said there was nothing wrong with the sewers, and they were just overwhelmed with the amount of water, which is surely a contradiction?”

To make matters worse, the couple agreed to sell their bungalow and move to Norfolk just days before the floods hit.

Mr Cole added: “We just feel let down by everybody. The way things have worked out for us this year we feel that if luckwas money we’d be bankrupt.”

An Anglian Water spokesman said it is confident the drainage system is capable of the job it is designed for, but recognises there is a problem in the area.

He added: “We are not responsible for some of the causes of this flooding, but we are very happy to contribute our knowledge of the drainage systems in the area to the lead local flood authority, Essex County Council, to see if we can help address this problem..”

An Essex Highways spokesman added: “There will be a drainage crew in the area over the next couple of weeks to investigate the drainage system and they will cleanse the gullies if this is required.”