Yahoo News Elderly couple's 'nightmare' forever home has flooded 20 times in three years
'It is like Niagara Falls every time we get moderate rain,' homeowner Patricia Clarke said.
Watch: Elderly couple's 'nightmare' forever home has flooded 20 times in three years
An elderly couple are living in a "nightmare", after their home flooded 20 times in the space of three years.
Patricia Clarke, 76, and her husband Peter, 74, moved from Cornwall to Swindon in 2021 to be closer to their son.
But when they bought the property, they did not envisage a pond on council land near their home regularly overflowing and pouring into their back garden.
In an attempt to stop the floods and protect the house, Patricia Clarke has even dug ditches and built a DIY dam.
The couple has spent over £7,000 since moving in on drying the property, maintenance and flood defences.
Patricia Clarke said: "It is like Niagara Falls every time we get moderate rain."
The first flood happened in October 2021, one month after they moved in. She said: "It was just flowing like a river from under our fence, and right up to the back and around the house.
"We were completely flooded. I was there sweeping water for hours on end. It went on the conservatory and into the garage.
"This last storm, I opened up the front door and the water was almost up to my knees.
"The flooding had been occurring for years before we moved in but the buyer never mentioned it."
It has left her "furious" and "anxious", she said.
"I have always got the weather app open on my phone and I can’t sleep.
"I am up and down just checking if the water has come across the path."
Due to a growing abdominal aortic aneurysm, her husband has been unable to help her manage the flooding.
She said Swindon Borough Council had told her it hoped to start work on drainage for the pond early next year.
But she is unhappy with the way it has been dealing with the situation, saying: "Nothing is done and nothing ever will be done."
A council spokesperson said it was "incredibly sympathetic" towards the couple.
"We are looking at ways we can mitigate the problems affecting Mrs Clarke but we also have a number of other sites across the borough that also require our attention.
"In the meantime, we'll assist where we can by providing sandbags and support when needed and we would encourage Mrs Clarke to look at what she can do herself, from within her own property boundary, to help prevent flooding."
How to protect your home from flood damage
According to a Friends of the Earth report last year, more than 4,600 properties flooded in England in 2019, at a cost of £333m.
The UK government says people can take steps to reduce flooding damage such as:
laying tiles instead of carpets.
moving electrical sockets higher up the wall.
fitting non-return valves to stop flood water entering the property through drains.
getting flood protection products, for example flood doors or self closing air bricks.
