FLOODED residents say they are "crying out for help" as they face the task of having to dry out their homes again after the weekend's flash flooding.
Some of the homes affected, which were all over town – including in the Cromwell Road area, the Willows and Wybers estates, were flooded only three weeks ago, when residents on the West Marsh were also left without power. They were also among the worst affected in floods of summer 2007.
One local, who did not wish to be named, said that he's "lost the whole of the downstairs before" and wants the street drainage sorted out.
The Wentworth Road resident said: "We need the drainage to be looked at, our street has gone under for the third time in seven years and the second time in three weeks.
"It's deeper this time – we're crying out for help.
"We've got sewage coming into our house and it stinks; we're just having to live like this but it shouldn't be this way.
"Between the council and Anglian Water something needs to be sorted, it should be a priority."
PICTURES: Severe flooding hits Grimsby
A statement from Anglian Water said they were working hard to help residents and businesses affected by flooding and have drafted in extra staff to help tackle the challenging conditions. The statement added: "Sudden heavy downpours can overwhelm the sewer and road drainage network resulting in surface water flooding or sewers backing up and overflowing. We share responsibility for managing the drainage network with councils and highways authorities. We work closely with these partners wherever flooding occurs to understand and address any issues. Engineers are on the ground across the region making sure our network and pumps are working as best they can. We're also getting in touch with customers who have reported problems to us and helping in anyway we can.
"We take our responsibilities on the drainage network very seriously and are investing heavily to maintain and improve our systems to tackle problems now and in the longer term."
Becky Winchester, 28, was working at Marks and Spencers with her partner Jonny Drew when they say the rain started coming through the ceiling and they decided to head home.
The locals, also Wentworth Road residents, returned to their street where they made their way back to their house by wading through knee-high water.
She said: "All of our stuff was upstairs because we still weren't back to normal from flooding three weeks ago.
"The house had to be dehumidified and new carpets were only just put down, but the whole of downstairs was flooded through.
"There seemed to be a lot more water this time; we'll be stuck living upstairs for a few weeks most probably or however long it takes to get the house back in order."
Cromwell Road was partly shut and badly affected at the stretch of road where the Murco garage and shops are.
Graeme King was doggedly sweeping water out of his opticians with the help of his family. Keen King & Jones opticians has flooded for the second time in three weeks and now four times in a total of seven years.
He said: "We've had the carpet down for four days and now the water is up to our ankles.
"There seems to be more water this time and we're dealing with it ourselves.
"Perhaps the drains just are not large enough and the water has got to go somewhere.
"We've been here for 24 years and unfortunately I can remember each occasion of flooding vividly.
Street resident Lynsey Milnes, 32, said that despite not being flooded, her house had lost power.
Water was stopped just shy of her front door.
She said: "We've managed to escape the flooding but we've got nothing coming out of our power sockets and if the rain comes again it might start coming into the house."
Elsewhere, Ellis Way flooded and was closed, and children were evacuated from Cromwell House on Grimsby's Willows estate.
Events were cancelled across North East Lincolnshire, including the East Halton Show and the second day of the 1940s weekend.
Cllr David Watson, cabinet member for Environment and Housing at North East Lincolnshire Council, said the authority had worked as much as it was able with other agencies to deal with the flash floods. "We had approximately 30mm of rain in around 50 minutes or so in parts of the area, which made it virtually impossible for the drainage systems to cope with here or anywhere else", he explained. "Unfortunately, the ability of areas to cope with such a deluge in such a short time is dependent on the capacity of the drainage system provided by Anglian Water, but we will be talking to them about that to see what lessons can be learned. Our main concern is helping residents where we can in dealing with the sudden downpour and its consequences. "Our Doughty Road depot saw flooding which was the worst in 30 years and while we were able to get our Gully Wagon and other large mechanical sweepers out, along with flood boards in Waltham, this was another problem we had to deal with. "In addition to this, we'll also be leafleting households in all the affected areas on flooding guidance and advice on what they can do in terms of protecting their own properties; and while the Council itself is not responsible for supplying sandbags for households, we'll also be talking to ward members and Parish Councils to see if we can work with them on this aspect in the future."Follow us on Facebook and TwitterVIEW PICTURE GALLERIES www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/pictures
