THE heart of a community devastated by floods could be ripped out because a large number of residents want to leave.

Skinningrove, in east Cleveland, has been hit by severe flooding for the third time in three months, and now many of the residents have said enough is enough.

The moves are likely to have a devastating effect on the close-knit community, as many extended families live there.

Alison Sayers, 35, of Larvick Court, returned from the emergency centre at Rosecroft School, where she and her husband have been staying with their four children to be told that both her sister and her mother-in-law plan to leave the village.

She said her 68-year-old widowed mother-in-law, Ciss, has lived in Skinningrove all her life but now planned to move to the nearby village of Brotton.

Mrs Sayers said: "She is going to miss us because she used to come for her dinner and she would come every evening for the company. My sister Paula is going as well because she says she can't do this anymore. They were both hit by the flooding last time.

"A number of other families are talking about leaving as well. My family life is not going to be the same; I don't know what we are going to do. My little girl Chloe is only five and she's really upset because her grandma used to read to her every night."

Mrs Sayers said her mother-in-law had only just got her house sorted out from the July floods, and thinks the latest incident will break her heart.

The situation in the village has taken a turn for the better as the beck has reduced dramatically and water levels have fallen. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said the sandbag defences were staying in place, following consultation with residents.

Yesterday saw the start of the massive clean-up operation in the village.

A spokesman for the council said it was the first time council workers had been able to get into the 165 properties affected by the floods.

The homes affected are a mix of council properties, private, and landlord and housing association-owned. In July, there were 100 homes affected by the damage of the floods.

Yesterday, all schools in the borough opened again.

The only road that remained closed was the trunk road at the British Steel roundabout.

A spokesman said: "It is natural people are going to have anxieties.

"Our job over the next few days and weeks is to talk to each household and assess their individual needs and make evaluations on what is best for them.