RESIDENTS living in Burgh Road, Gorleston, are demanding answers from Anglian Water after homes were flooded despite the water company carrying out improvements on the sewer system.

RESIDENTS living in Burgh Road, Gorleston, are demanding answers from Anglian Water after homes were flooded despite the water company carrying out improvements on the sewer system.

Heavy rain storms last Thursday evening brought flash flooding to parts of Yarmouth, Gorleston and Bradwell, where at least a foot of water flooded gardens and driveways, while several homes were flooded with a few inches of water.

Firefighters received dozens of calls, mainly to the Bradwell area, where crews helped pump water out of houses and gave flooding advice.

Last year, Anglian Water carried out improvements on Beccles Road, near the White Horse roundabout, increasing the capacity of the sewers. In a letter to residents it said the £300,000 project had “effectively increased the storage capacity of the sewer eliminating the risk of flooding to both roads [Beccles Road and Burgh Road].”

However, residents affected by the floods in September 2006 disagree and say the system still cannot cope.

Joanne and Kevin Longman remain out of their Burgh Road home - flooded in 2006 - due to a bodged repair job. The couple, who are renting property in Barnby, discovered their home had been flooded for a second time on Friday when a neighbour called and said two inches of water had got into her property.

Sales supervisor Mr Longman said water had got into the house through airbricks, and condemned the sewer system in Gorleston and Bradwell as inadequate.

He said: “There is no way we should have been put through this twice. Anglian Water gave us assurances this would not happen again but it has. The system should have coped.”

Fellow Burgh Road resident Karen Stubbs was also flooded for a second time last week. She said: “The drains seemed to be coping but within minutes the road and grass verges began to flood and water has got into my house. We have just got straight from being flooded two years ago. The water came up so quickly.”

Susan Himpleman's home and garden was submerged in about two feet of water in September 2006 and last Thursday her garden was flooded again.

“At least a foot of water flooded the garden and we are certain a little bit of water got into the house. There was a damp smell in the kitchen on Friday morning.”

Firefighters were called to several reports of flooding in Bradwell at Redwing Drive, Lapwing Close, Wren Drive, Louise Close, Blackbird Close and Kingfisher Close. They also went to Church Lane in the village where Bradwell Library was flooded for a second time. More than two feet of water got inside the library ruining books on the lowest shelf.

Bradwell man Carl Annison, of Primrose Way, was forced to take last Friday off work to clear his garden from sewage.

The engineer reckons he pumped 36,000 litres of sewage from his garden after water pressure forced a manhole cover to burst off.

He said: “There must have been a back up of water because the manhole cover blew off. I had the pump working during the evening, if not, I think my house would have flooded.”

A spokeswoman from Anglian Water said the company was confident capacity had improved in the area but said they were “not entirely sure” they had got to the bottom of the original problems in the area.

She said the flooding was not related to a problem with pumping stations as they were in full working order and added Anglian Water had launched an investigation.