Angry residents who say they are fed up with living in fear of their houses and gardens flooding are calling for action.

Homeowners in Castlemere Avenue, Queenborough, were once again faced with raw sewage running through the street last Tuesday night.

Paula Telford, who has lived there for more than 30 years, has had her garden badly flooded nine times now since 1993.

She said: “We’ve had it happen in the past when we’ve had a lot of rain, but most of the time it’s been down to an error or fault at the Rushenden Road pumping station.

"This time it was an electrical fault, which meant the emergency pumps didn’t automatically start.

"It backs up to the system and we’re the first port for it to come out.”

The 55-year-old hairdresser said the problem started after she and her partner Nathan had a power cut at about 8.50pm.

“The next minute, Nathan looked out the window and saw a car driving through water in the nearby car park, which is where it always starts,” she said.

Paula said Southern Water came out that night and returned the following morning to pump four-and-a-half thousand litres of sewage water from her garden.

Workers also cleaned the car park and pathways.

She added: “We’ve been told many a time that the problem has been dealt with and it shouldn’t happen again.

“I just think the system at the pumping station needs to be more up to date.

"My biggest issue with it is that when they build another 200-300 houses on the Island it all comes through here to the pumping station and it just can’t cope.”

Eric and Carole Tress have been worst affected in the past and even had to move out of their home in 2010 for six months due to the damage caused by the flooding. This time, it got into their conservatory.

The couple, who moved in in 1979, estimated their home had flooded about 15 times.

Eric, 75, said: “I’ve turned angry. No-one seems to be bothered about it or doing anything about it.

"It’s going into people’s homes and is affecting people’s lives.”

Two other homes in the road also had flood water indoors and now have dehumidifiers in to dry out the walls and carpets.

Eric added: “I’d like to see things done so that we don’t get flooded any more.

"The whole system needs a bigger capacity and I think they need to stop building more houses on this Island."

“You can’t keep on putting houses here. It’s like trying to put a gallon of water into a pint pot, it’s not going to work," he added.

“Castlemere Avenue is the scapegoat.

"We’re the lowest part of the system and we are unlucky enough to have a manhole cover in the lowest part of the system, so therefore where does it go? In my house.”

Southern Water has been approached for a comment.

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