Residents in a village hit by heavy flooding say they now fear their homes and businesses will flood every time there is heavy rainfall after their livelihoods were impacted earlier this year.
People were evacuated from their homes and businesses shut for several weeks in Lanchester after drains overflowed in October and left the village’s Front Street submerged in water.
The impacts of the devastation are still felt today, as residents face months until they can return home.
Since the flooding, Durham County Council says all highway drainage in the village centre has been inspected and cleaned after the system became overwhelmed.
She said: “I’ve got two autistic children and we’re really struggling. We haven’t got accommodation yet, so we’re still sleeping on sofas. We’ve had no upfront money from the insurance company.
“I’ve been off work because I lost my car and I can’t do my job. It’s hit us really hard.”
The impact of the flooding has also raised tensions every time there is heavy rainfall. “My eldest is avoiding school lessons every time it rains, she can’t cope with any rain at all,” Gillian said.
“We got a flood warning through the other night and put sandbags out even though the house is empty and nothing can be ruined. My neighbour is not returning because she can’t cope with it again.”
Currently caring for her mother, Gillian says Christmas has in-effect been cancelled this year due to the huge repair bills. At the top of her Christmas list is “to have a roof of our own over our heads”, as the current arrangement of six people in a two-bed house makes for tight living.
She added: “We’ve cancelled Christmas this year for everyone but the girls. We’ve said we can’t buy presents for people because we’re having to fund everything else. I’ve had to hire a car because my courtesy car expired. Everyone has been amazing but it still hurts.”
At Get Ahead Hats, Carley Jackson has reopened after installing a new carpet and purchasing new hats - but the worry about heavy rainfall remains. She said: “I’ve managed to get the shop back to normal but everyday I’m still stressed when it rains that it will happen again. I woke up during the night stressing, it’s not a nice feeling.”
“There’s a lot more people worried every day now,” said Carley. “People are putting sandbags out to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I keep waking up during the night when I hear the rain and think I need to check the shop. I woke at three o’clock this morning and checked my Ring doorbell to see if it had flooded, it’s not a nice feeling.”
“It’s been very difficult, but we managed to turn things around and open again,” he said. “I was lucky to find a company who quickly did the work. We had no choice but to pay a high price to be open again before Christmas.
“But my worry is, how do I know that it won’t flood again?”
Following the flooding, the area’s MP Richard Holden said those severely affected could be entitled up to £5,000 as well as council tax and business rate relief from the Government.
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However, as the flooding happened after Storm Babet, which was before the Lanchester floods, it did not apply to the area. Council officials confirm they have met with the government and have urged them to extend the support for residents and businesses.
Victoria Murray, head of transactional and customer services, said: “We have made the case for our area to be included, explained what had happened, and how the community has been affected. We are still waiting to hear back and will let everyone know if the government agrees to extend the scheme, as we hope they will.”
North West Durham MP Richard Holden also said he has raised the issue with the government including the Chancellor.
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