HOMES around Thorpe Bay seafront have been sandbagged to protect them from damage as water came spouting through the road today.

A video shows the water spouting through Thorpe Esplanade, near its junction with Thorpe Hall Avenue, as Anglian Water crews have been in the road since 1.30pm today redirecting floodwater.

This comes as Thorpe Hall Avenue has also been hit by heavy flooding today, causing delays as cars have been forced to slow down to avoid getting stuck under the bridge.

An Anglian Water spokesman said: “Our teams continue to work incredibly hard to keep our sewer network running despite the persistent bad weather we’ve seen this winter.

"We’ve been on site at Thorpe Esplanade since 1.30pm today, redirecting floodwater away and sandbagging nearby properties to protect them from damage.

“In Southend the ongoing rainfall, combined with the already saturated ground, mean that we’re seeing widespread infiltration of excess water into our sewer network – there is simply a lot of water with nowhere to go.

"It means that while our network is operating the best it can, there's much less room for the sewage, which can cause flooding like we’re seeing on Thorpe Esplanade."

“Responsibility for flooding and drainage requires response from many different organisations, businesses, and landowners, and it will take a combined response from all involved to put together a plan to address the issue in the long term," they added. 

"One example of this multi-agency approach in action is the Marine Parade Sustainable Water Management Scheme, led by Southend Council, which we’re also contributing to.

"This project, which also has funding from the government and the Regional Flood Coastal Committee, will help alleviate flooding in Southend by manage much of this surface water along Marine Parade in a more sustainable way, helping reduce the pressure on our sewer network.”