Residents were today mopping up after a water main burst leaving their street under more than a foot of water.
Firefighters successfully used pumps to stop the water entering homes in the Ridings, Rochford.
But the flood was made worse because the cul-de-sac's storm drains were blocked and unable to carry the water away.
The leak, which is thought to have been caused by the hot weather, also meant homes in the Ridings lost their water supply.
Resident Louise Mills, 26, woke to find her street transformed into a canal.
She said: "It happened about 6am when no one was around, so by the time we noticed it, it was high."
An Essex and Suffolk Water company spokeswoman explained that as mains go, the Ridings' main was quite small.
She believed the rupture happened because of the prolonged dry spell which may have dried the clay out underground, causing it to move and fracture.
Published Monday August 2, 2004
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