FLOOD-HIT residents are celebrating after cash was secured to fix a blocked waterway which has caused extensive, and repeated, damage to their homes.

An investigation was launched earlier this year to find out what was causing houses in Bilton Road, The Crescent and The Avenue to flood.

Residents were left with thousands of pounds worth of repairs after a stream, which runs under their homes, became blocked following heavy rain.

Water gushed into gardens and homes during the floods last August, and then again in December.

Since then, experts from Essex County Council, placed cameras into the sewers and found parts of tree trunks and branches, which fell into the open ditch at the back of Hadleigh Junior School, in Church Road, had run into the pipes under the houses causing the blockage.

Michael Holyoak, 66, of The Crescent, was one of the victims of the flood and had to pump water from his house in August and then again in December.

He said: “This is exceptionally good news. It is nice to know the council has responded to our concerns. Our house flooded in December and the repairs have just finished.

“It has been a total nightmare, and we get worried that even though the house has been re-done, the problem can happen again.”

The county council will now pay £3,000 to fix the problem by placing a weed screen in the ditch to stop items falling into the pipes.

Norman Ladzrie, Tory representative for St James’ Ward, said: “It’s brilliant that they are putting £3,000 in to fix the problem.”

It has not yet been decided when work will begin, but councillors hope the job will be completed before autumn.