A young couple are having to rethink their wedding plans after waking to find their home under five inches of water

John Smith and Melanie McMillan are determined to go ahead with their marriage at All Saints' Church, Dovercourt on September 7, although their home in Portland Avenue, Dovercourt is uninhabitable and the couple do not know when they can move back in.

At the moment, they are staying at the Dovercourt home of the 22-year-old bride's parents.

The best man and his girlfriend, who are travelling from Birmingham, were due to stay at the couple's terrace home and alternative accommodation will now have to be found.

The first the couple knew of the drama, said Mr Smith, was when they were woken at just after 3am and could see flashing blue lights out of the bedroom window.

"We looked out and saw the fire brigade in our garden.

"We ran downstairs in the dark and I got to the last step and splashed in some water. I turned the light on and opened the door and the fire brigade were there."

Mr Smith, 24, who works at Fiveways in Colchester, said: "We could not save anything, everything downstairs was ruined."

This included carpets, television and sofa.

Both homes next to that of Mr Smith and Miss McMillan, who works as a hairdresser in Frinton, were also affected by the water.

All three are in a dip in the road and Mr Smith believes the flooding was caused by heavy rainfall made worse by a drain, which he claimed was blocked by a nearby tree's roots.

Despite the problems, the couple are still determined to get married on the arranged date although a few changes will have to be made.

Published Wednesday August 14, 2002

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