A HOUSING estate's residents woke to find their gardens awash yesterday.

Stan Moon, of Fountain View, in Branksome, Darlington, was shocked to discover a small crater full of water had formed in his front garden and had swallowed a small tree.

Next-door neighbour Cheryl Fairhurst's back garden, in Egglestone View, was also flooded. A garden shed full of electrical equipment was destroyed by the rain.

"It was a nightmare. Everything was ruined," she said.

The houses on the estate first started to suffer from flooding on Tuesday, but the problem worsened over the past few days.

Residents were angry that the council had not acted sooner to sort out the problems.

Lillian Gowling, of Egglestone View, had to move her rabbit hutch from the bottom of her garden because the water was so deep she feared for the pet's life.

She said: "I have lived here for 26 years and I have never seen anything like it. The gardens were like rivers. We had the water board out, but they said it was the council's problem. We have had to wait days for the council to come and have a look. It's been terrible."

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said the situation was being dealt with.

He said: "We are getting a pump to pump the water away. We do not know why the flooding is there. We suspect it might be a collapsed drain, but until the water is pumped away we can't inspect it."

Frank Todd, of Coxwold Drive, Darlington, lost thousands of pounds worth of stock when his allotment near Dodmire School flooded. Many of the other 60 allotments were also under water.

He said: "My allotment is completely ruined and I have lost £2,000-worth of stuff. Everything is under a foot of rain.

"We petitioned the council two years ago about the drainage, but they have done nothing about it. It has flooded twice in three years. I am very upset by it, I feel like giving the allotment up."