Sand bags not enough to prevent children becoming unwell at flood-ridden homes

Residents have been left frustrated by a lack of support at their flood-damaged homes – and claim their young children have become ill as a result.

Numerous people living at Turbus Road in North Lynn first had heavy rainfall come gushing into their homes in August last year.

They have been calling for help from Freebridge Community Housing, which manages the street, ever since – but limited action meant that when flash floods struck the borough earlier this month, properties were once again left undefended.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, has told the Lynn News that mould and damp which has formed behind her walls has resulted in her two children, aged six and two, becoming unwell and requiring trips to hospital to deal with bacterial infections.

“You never expect your house to be flooded, not once but twice within a year,” she said.

“This street gets completely flooded when the rain starts. They [Freebridge] are avoiding it. They just don’t want to do anything.”

The woman’s mother, Hayley Branham, said that Freebridge crews have come out to the Turbus Road address to fit new flooring and skirting boards to help prevent future flooding – but that the replacements have often been the wrong fit, leaving gaps between walls and doors that fail to close properly.

And her daughter has been forced to barricade her front door with sand bags, provided by Freebridge, and a wooden panel as a precaution for future rain.

A spokesman for Freebridge said: “We remain very concerned following the damage caused by flash flooding at the homes of several of our customers in Turbus Road and really sympathise with their situation.

“We believe that the drainage in the vicinity of these homes is the root cause of this flooding and we are continuing to work closely with Anglian Water to find a permanent solution to prevent this from happening again.

“Last August, and again following the further flash flooding earlier this month, we were on-site immediately with customers to provide emergency out of hours assistance, with further contact the following day offering emergency payments to help with their immediate costs.

“This was exceptionally adverse weather, which affected many homes across the country. We have worked with customers who needed help replacing their damaged white goods and flooring, with goodwill financial support offered to everyone.

“We will again be contacting our customers on Turbus Road this week to see if there is anything more we can do for them.”

Ms Branham added that her grandchildren are now “petrified every time it rains” in case their home is flooded again.

She said that houses either side of their Turbus Road property have been hit just as bad by flooding, and have been left feeling ignored by a lack of preventative measures.

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