Suffolk homes flooded for the third time in two weeks

Property owners in Needham Market and Stowmarket had already been hit hard by Storm Babet, which struck on October 20, but since then further downpours including the latest storm, Ciarán, have added to their woes.

Monika Lehocz, who lives in Lindsey Way, Stowmarket, said water up to knee height poured into her home at 5.30am on Thursday, adding to damage to flooring that had already been caused by Storm Babet and another flooding incident on Saturday.

READ MORE: Will Storm Ciaran bring Suffolk to a halt on Thursday?

Homeowners in Pinecroft Way used sand bags to stop the water entering their properties (Image: Charlotte Bond)She said she had been able to salvage her possessions by moving them upstairs and she knew of four other homes where waters had entered the house.

She added the flood waters had run off land at the back of her home and she had been trying to trace the owner to clear ditches which she believed were causing the flooding, but to no avail.

READ MORE: Storm Ciarán: Number of roads flooded across Suffolk

Monika, who lives with her partner Zsolt Peto, said the property had never previously been flooded in the 11 years they had lived there.

Martin Whayman, father of resident Georgia Whayman, with some of the flooding in Pinecroft Way (Image: Charlotte Bond)She said: "Emotionally, it has affected me because of the stress, but it has also affected us financially because we have to stay home and deal with the water.

"We have two or three sewers outside the house and we have to go out for 30 minutes to clear them.

"My partner is losing money because he does not get paid for this and this is the second time he did not go to work. Who is going to pay for this loss of work?"

Homes in Foxglove Avenue were also flooded (Image: Charlotte Bond)In Needham Market, Charlotte Burch and her partner Daniel, who live in Foxglove Avenue, were also flooded during Storm Babet.

The pair awoke to find their downstairs rooms flooded and had to seek temporary accommodation at the nearby Beacon Hill Travelodge. 

READ MORE: Needham Market news

However, the pair have suffered further flood damage twice more since - including during Storm Ciarán on Thursday.

In desperation, residents in Foxglove Avenue tried to clear a ditch behind their homes to prevent flooding (Image: Charlotte Bond)"It's been absolutely devastating to experience it three times in two weeks," said Ms Burch.

In a bid to alleviate the issues a friend of their neighbour Mark Stannard dug a ditch behind their homes to try to prevent water running off the field behind Foxglove Avenue. 

However, the attempt was short-lived, as they discovered on Thursday morning.

Ms Burch added: "The whole ditch filled up and the mud just disintegrated. It came flooding through the fence again, filled up the whole garden and came in through the patio doors."

READ MORE: Suffolk County Council dealt with 172 Storm Babet calls

Mr Stannard, who has lived in the road for 29 years, was also flooded.

He said: "I won't leave. I know I can't do anything as you're helpless, but I feel as though I need to be here.

"I feel as though you are protective towards your own property and you need to do what you can to alleviate the problems. 

"If your neighbours want help, we try to help each other.

"If you're 30 or 40 miles away in a hotel, you can't do that."

Dehumidifiers have been used to dry out homes in Foxglove Avenue (Image: Charlotte Bond)Homeowners in nearby Pinecroft Way in Needham Market were saved when the son of resident Robin Boon was able to secure sand bags for properties in the street from builders merchant Huws Gray in Hadleigh, where he works.

Mr Boon said if the water had been a quarter of an inch higher, his property would have been flooded, while his garage had been flooded during Storm Babet.

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He said a stream behind his home was overflowing and needed clearing, while storm drains in the street were also flooding.

"I was lucky because I phoned my son, who works for Huws Gray in Hadleigh and he was able to get us sandbags and the manager reduced the cost of them, which helped us out," Mr Boon added.

Another Pinecroft Way resident, Georgia Whayman, was flooded during Babet when water rushed through her downstairs lounge, kitchen and study room, as well as the garage and garden, causing damage which she estimated would cost £20,000.

She is currently living with her parents in Shotley, but said on this occasion the water receded before flooding her home again.

"I just could not believe that it was going to happen twice in two weeks, but it does not look like it is going to happen again," she said.

Across the county, eight emergency road closures were enforced by the county council to deal with the storm, while 29 roads were flooded and 17 roads were blocked by fallen trees.

The Orwell Bridge near Ipswich was also closed on Thursday morning, causing congestion as traffic passed through the town instead, but had reopened by lunchtime.

The A12 was also closed when a lorry overturned near Capel St Mary.

The weather also forced the closure of 73 Suffolk schools, along with nurseries and playschools, while train services between Sudbury and Marks Tey were cancelled due to a landslide.

Hundreds of homes were affected by power cuts, including 320 properties in the Leiston area and 400 households around Diss.

The Thursday market in Woodbridge was called off along with the Theberton and Eastbridge fireworks display.

Meteorologist Dan Holley reported that the highest gust recorded at Southwold Lifeboat Station was 68mph.

READ MORE: Suffolk news