WATER poured under homes and a family were left for hours without electric as severe flooding swamped the streets of south Essex. 

With flooding causing chaos across the area, homes on Canvey were hit hard with families on Furtherwick Road battling flood water seeping under their floor boards. 

Matthew Aristidou, 31, of Furtherwick Road, said: “Since I moved here four years ago it’s not been as bad as it was yesterday, but we have had flooding in the past on Labworth corner.

“It didn’t help all the motorists driving through and pushing water onto the drive, it gets all under the floor boards. 

“And then you can’t do anything about it until the flooding outside calms down, if you pump it out it comes straight back in. You actually have to cut a hole in the floor to access the water and get it out.”

Echo:

And Robyn Sharp, of Furtherwick Road, revealed her home was left without electric throughout the morning thanks to the chaos, leaving her and her little ones in the freezing cold.

The 30-year-old said: “It was completely flooded, which does happen quite a lot when it rains. 

“But it’s been at least a year since it last happened.

“We had water under our house and the electric dropped out. 

“Next door had to give us an extension lead from their house so we could put the boiler on, we had no heating all morning and I’ve got a eight month old and a two-year-old at home. 

“We even had the fire brigade round and they couldn’t do anything. And it was absolutely freezing.

“It’s never been this bad, we’ve got four inches of water under our house.”

Echo:

Elsewhere, a driver was even forced to abandon their car which was stranded in water on Southend Road, near Fobbing.