A family have been left counting the cost today after their home was flooded for the second time in two years

Carol Lazenby, 44, and husband Kevin, 43, of Pork Lane, Great Holland, found heavy rainfall overnight led to their garden, kitchen and bathroom being under water on New Year's Day morning.

With a foot of water outside their back door, and more than four inches inside the house, Mr Lazenby set about draining the water with a pump they bought two years ago for the previous flood.

Mrs Lazenby said: "The only trouble was I was panicking because as fast as we could pump it out, it was coming back in again."

Eventually they called Clacton firefighters for assistance at 3.55pm. They arrived with a portable pump.

Unfortunately, the fire crew's pump broke down but by that time most of the water had been taken away.

Together with their children Kevin, 20, and Louise, 10, the family have been left without the use of their toilet and bathroom in the bungalow.

Mr Lazenby said: "If we use any water there's nowhere for it to go. There's no main sewerage here or drainage. We just run off one cesspit. In the meantime, we'll just have to ask the neighbours if we can use their bathrooms."

Published Thursday, January 2, 2003

Brought to you by the Evening Gazette