HOUSEHOLDERS are calling for urgent action after Storm Bert brought flooding to parts of Cirencester.
The town was lashed by rain and wind on Saturday and Sunday with several areas flooding.
Two hotspots were Rose Way, where water was thigh high on Sunday, and Cherry Tree Drive, where sewage seeped from manholes.
Several roads were closed while subways across town also flooded with one nearly filling with water.
The River Churn at Cirencester exceeded the top of the normal range on Monday and Tuesday.
Karen Littler, a customer service assistant who lives in Rose Way, said: “These have been the worst floods since 2007, but that’s what happens when houses get built on floodplains with no effective measures to deal with excessive rainfall.
“I was lucky this time as the water only went in the garage but what’s to stop it flooding again in the future?”
Neighbour Lily Mason, an RAU student, added that parts of the road were completely waterlogged.
“Our sewage drain also flooded,” she said.
“The ground was covered in toilet paper.
“There was flooding last year as well.”
Brian Barnes, of Cherry Tree Drive, said the area resembled ‘a river’ on Sunday.
Water was three to four inches deep by his back door, bringing toilet paper into the garden.
“The flooding is because of a lack of investment by Thames Water to get all this sorted out,” said Mr Barnes, a member of the Churn Catchment Flood Prevention Group.
“Thames Water usually organises a team to come and clean up for us when there’s flooding but that’s the best we can get.”
Rod Parker, who has lived in Cherry Tree Drive since 1968, said flooding began there when Tesco Extra was built in Cricklade Road.
“The manhole on the road bubbled up over a foot high and water came up through our drains,” he said.
“Water went in the garage.
“The Tesco site was a floodplain. For 30 years, we never had any problems.”
Tristan Wilkinson, cabinet member for the economy and environment at Cotswold District Council, said: “We are deeply concerned about the impact of Storm Bert, which caused significant flooding across our district this weekend.
“We understand the disruption and distress this has brought to residents, businesses and local communities, and we want to assure you that we are here to help.
“Our teams have been working tirelessly to respond to the situation, and we remain committed to supporting those affected.
“In partnership with Gloucestershire Rural Community Council, we run a flood wardens scheme, an initiative aimed at strengthening community resilience.
“Flood wardens, who are trained local volunteers, have provided vital on-the-ground support by monitoring flood levels, assisting vulnerable residents and sharing critical information.
“We are incredibly grateful for their efforts and their unwavering commitment to their communities.
“We appreciate the patience and resilience of our residents and urge everyone to stay safe, monitor local updates and avoid floodwaters wherever possible.”
A spokesperson for Thames Water said: “We are sorry to those who have experienced flooding over the weekend, and we recognise how difficult this can be for our customers.
“Flood management requires a multiagency approach, and we work closely with the various organisations that have different responsibilities.”
Storm Bert caused flooding, bought trees down and led to travel disruption across the area.
A yellow weather warning was in place for the south west for Sunday, including Gloucestershire and Wiltshire with disruption continuing on Monday with several roads in Wiltshire still shut on Tuesday.
Several roads were closed on Sunday night including the A419 from Dobbies to the Tesco roundabout in Cirencester, the B4225 from Bibury to Barnsley and the A433 between Tetbury and the A46.
Other areas affected were Rose Way off Siddington Road in Cirencester, the junction at Lewis Lane/Sheep Street and Ashton Road at Siddington.
Thames Head bridge on the A433 between Cirencester and Tetbury Road was closed, Harnhill to Driffield was impassable and Down Ampney was badly flooded.
The A429 between the M4 and Malmesbury was impassable at the Lower Stanton St Quintin railway bridge and the B4014 Tetbury to Malmesbury road was badly flooded in several places.
Roads flooded badly at Corston near Malmesbury and at Norton while Park Road in Malmesbury was submerged.
The A4135 was blocked by a fallen tree at Beverston near Tetbury while Long Furlong in Tetbury flooded as did parts of Doughton.
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