Homeowners in Purley have described how their basements are taking in water and their gardens have flooded.

Water is leaking into Mark Kelly's basement from the ground and his garden in Godstone Road is flooded.

He has put his possessions high up, turned off the power to his downstairs and is trying to fend off the water from filling up his basement by running pumps to get the water out.

The 54-year-old is pumping out 30,000 litres of water an hour and said he thinks this will be going on for quite some time.

Mr Kelly said: "It started on the first but it all went away, well it went back into the ground but came out of the garden at other points.

"On the first of February it was across half of my garden and by the next day it had gone.

"It was coming on from the car park next door because there is a small drainage channel and it was coming out the ground and that point and I got sandbags to block it off.

"The council came and delivered sandbags to me at 2 in the morning on the 2nd of February which I put round the basement window the next day it had gone but it was still bubbling on the surface then on the 10th of February.

"I could see it was running fast so we got some pumps and started pumping out to the wooded area at the back of the flats then the storm drains started overflowing and that's what's pouring into Dale Road.

Your Local Guardian:

Mark Kelly shows flood water leaking into his basement

"At the moment the water is almost back to its highest point. The next door neighbours we have lifted the floorboards and the water is just underneath the floorboards. There is about 4in of space left for water to rise.

"You have got to do as much as you can yourself.

"The best plan they have at the moment is to pump the water into the Wandle.

"I was walking down to Tesco with an Environment Agency girl and she said to me 'It is a shame there is not a reservoir nearby' and I said 'You're standing on it' because it used to be the site of a reservoir.

"The firemen knocked and told us to put everything up and they said be prepared for flood water.

 

Your Local Guardian:

The back of Gables Court off Godstone Road near Dale Road, Purley is now a lake

"I have had the insurance people round today and they said as far as they are concerned I'm doing it right."