Keeping the water out of the homes in Bourne Park Close, Kenley, is a constant battle with pumps running 24 hours a day.

The entrances to the houses are barricaded with sandbags and front gardens have been flooded with duckboards being put down so people can get in their homes.

Liam Lynch, who lives in one of the worst affected houses has had five pumps in his garden for the past two weeks and said everyone is doing all they can to help keep the water out of his home.

He said: ““The water is coming through from everybody’s gardens, coming into ours and flooding the grounds.

“I cannot see it being a short term, it’s going to be more of a long term thing.

“We must have had at least 2,000 sandbags down here so far.

“Everybody has been absolutely fantastic and they must be absolutely knackered, crew after crew has been down here.”

The 40-year-old added: “I must take my hat off to them, they have done everything they can and quickly.

“This water is coming from Godstone Road and through the hills.

“The council has said if there is any issue they will move us out.

“”Everything we need we have been keeping upstairs for two weeks.”

Seventy-five-year-old John Curd said: “It’s very worrying and we have had to move a lot of stuff off the floor.

“Since they have started pumping the water seems to be going down a bit but I’m still worried about the water coming in.

“The council has been very good trying to help us out but there is more rain forecast so I’m just going to keep an eye on everything to make sure it’s alright.

“The neighbours keep coming in to make sure I’m alright which is very good.

“Touch wood the water has not come in yet.

“I have lived here for 44 years and this is the worst it has ever been.

“I would not evacuate because I have been here so long and I want to protect my house as much as I can.”

And their neighbour Suzanne Pritchard, 33, said: “We have been flooded before so we had sandbags from last time and the local authority helped us put them against the fences and there’s not much else we can do.

“They are trying to pump some water away and with the rain that is forecast it is just a case of hoping for the best because the water has to go somewhere when it rains.

“We are scared of being flooded again and we have taken out the electrics in the front room and I have two cats and am concerned about the water being contaminated.

“If the water comes in we would start moving things upstairs.”

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