'We were told this would never, ever happen again. I'm just totally p*****d off'

The first things you notice when you walk along Bulwer Street in Bootle are the smell and the dark slippery sludge on the road and pavements. It is just over 24 hours since dozens of homes were evacuated due to severe flooding with many residents unsure as to when they'll be able to move back in.

The ECHO visited the scene of the devastation this morning to speak to people about their experiences of the flood and see the damage and chaos visited upon their lives. As we spoke to residents a large and coordinated clean-up operation was underway, as United Utilities, officials from Sefton Council and other agencies tried to restore some semblance of calm for a community still in a state of shock.

There have been two historical incidences of flooding reported on this road over the last 14 years. The first flood occurred in 2010 when a torrential rain storm flooded homes and closed roads in and around Seaforth and Bootle. The other incident happened in 2013 when a summer storm hit Merseyside and caused severe flooding on Bulwer Street including sewage water.

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John Smart is 74 years old and has been through the last two floods to hit Bulwer Street. During yesterday's torrential downpours John noticed water seeping under his front door. It wasn't long before he was sitting on the stairs watching the ground floor of his home fill up with one foot of water.

Due to his age and mobility issues, John had to be rescued by Merseyside Fire and Rescue who floated him to safety using an emergency dinghy.

John said: "I don't want to live here anymore because it's going to happen again. I'm just depressed by it all. I'm 74 and I just want a quiet life.

John stayed at his partner's house last night and doesn't know when he'll be able to safely return. His living room is covered in the murky residue of the flood water with sodden books and other personal items strewn about the floor. A small living room cabinet where John places his shoes was completely submerged and everything within totally ruined.

John added: "I'm just totally p****d off because we were told this would never, ever happen again. I've just lost trust in everything I'm told about this now."

The cause of the flooding is unknown at this time, but United Utilities, Sefton Council and Scottish Power teams are conducting investigations. The ECHO understands there are 37 properties directly affected by flooding and 40 properties are without power - resources have been put in place to provide food and water. Furthermore, anyone affected who needs overnight accommodation will be provided with it and advisers are available to help with insurance claims or give advice to those who do not have insurance in place.

Nonetheless, the impact of the flood is still very immediate and present for residents like Jen Richards who has lived on Bulwer Street for the last 17 years. After the water flooded her downstairs living room and kitchen, Jen spent the night upstairs with no electricity and tried to keep warm. Asked what she felt coming down the stairs this morning, she said: "I was just looking around in shock. And then all I could do was just go upstairs and stay warm.

"Every single bit of furniture that is on the ground floor has been damaged with sewer raising. The smell is awful.

"I know people who spent months out of their homes the last time this happened and I'm just scared I'm not going to be coming back here, to my family home so, I just don't know what to think."

Although water flooded into her living room and stairwell, Michelle Lynch still considers herself one of the lucky ones as she suffered relatively minor damage. Michelle moved into her Bulwer Street home ten years ago so this is her first experience of flooding. She said: "You just go into a state of panic.

"We've been told that our kitchens aren't safe because we've had sewage in there. We want to know who is actually responsible for all this."

Bootle MP Peter Dowd was out talking to residents and offering reassurance and confirmed he has spoken to a number of agencies to assess the scale of the situation. He said: "The key thing to address right now is finding out and acting on what people need in this moment and going forward.

"I've written to United Utilities this morning to ask what is happening to resolve the situation here because this has happened before, 14 years ago, and it's happened before that, so it's trying to find that out. But the key at the moment is, what do people need?

As part of the effort to support residents affected by the flooding, St Leonard's Youth and Community Centre was made available and provided a warm shelter, hot drinks and snacks. Debbie Shelley is the manager of St Leonard's on Peel Road and said she was alerted to the problems by officials from Sefton Council and stayed open five hours after normal opening hours to offer support to local residents.

Asked to describe the mood at the centre last night, Debbie said: "People were in shock, wondering what was going to happen to them. They realised it was going to be a long time before they would get back in their houses.

"We run the local food bank here and we do a lot of signposting to other agencies that we work with. So we've offered all these services as well, if people need."

A spokesperson for United Utilities confirmed they are working with multiple agencies to identify the cause of the flood. A joint statement on behalf of Sefton Council and United Utilities added: “Since the heavy rainfall, Sefton Council and United Utilities have been working closely with the relevant agencies to help residents affected by flooding and they remain our number one priority.

“We understand that any flooding is extremely upsetting and we have teams on the ground working tirelessly to help and support members of the local community during this difficult time."

A GoFundMe community fundraiser has been launched to support all those impacted by the flooding and who have lost their possessions. You can offer your support to residents HERE: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bootle-flood-support