CLEAN-UP operations were under way yesterday in two villages hit by floods at the weekend.

Torrential rain on Sunday afternoon caused flooding to about 40 homes and businesses in Lanchester, near Consett, County Durham. Residents said that Front Street was like a river, up to 4ft deep in places.

One of the worst affected buildings was the Queens Head pub, run by its new landlord, John Dixon.

"It was horrendous," he said. "It was coming through the front door, the back door and up out of the toilets."

Mr Dixon and his wife, Jayne, bought the pub and restaurant in May and had just spent £20,000 refurbishing it.

"I closed down for two weeks and have only just re-opened," he said. "Now I have got this to deal with.

"People are angry about it. This problem has been around in Lanchester for a long time and needs to be sorted out."

The flooding was due to the overspilling of Alderdene Burn, which runs underneath the street and is the responsibility of Derwentside District Council.

A council spokesman said the problem was due to the sheer volume of water falling in such a short space of time.

In Tudhoe Colliery, near Spennymoor, also County Durham, the floods ruined first-time buyer Emma Nelson's dreams of moving into her home this month, after sewage water swept through the house.

"We had just put down laminate flooring in the living room and I watched it lifted and float out of my door," she said.

Miss Nelson said: "After I bought it, I found out through friends that there was a risk of flooding. I rang the estate agents and they told me there had been a problem in the past, but it was all sorted out."

About 20 houses in Front Street were affected, including six sold recently by Sedgefield Borough Council.

No one at the council was available for comment last night.

A spokeswoman for Northumbrian Water said the fierce downpour had led to a blockage in a sewer in Tudhoe.

"We deeply regret the incident. All the residents affected will be given a rebate on their sewerage charges," she said.

Today, the company will send out a clean-up team to help residents and experts to inspect the sewer.