Southend seafront was plunged into even more water as a drain burst.
Cafe boss Paul Thompson raised the alarm and urged others to put barriers up.
He said: "The drain in the road burst near to Sealife Adventure and the man hole blew open.
"There was water pouring out for hours and the council didn't act for some time.
"I called other traders and told them to get out the flood defences quickly."
Ian Gilbert, Labour leader of the council denied this and said teams were on scene quickly.
He added: "There was a seafront surge from a drain and the agencies reacted quickly."
It comes as the county has battled rising waters all day with persistent rain.
Follow our blog here: https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/19011238.live-updates-flooding-a127-m25-a12-a13/
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