Residents’ anger at persistent flooding in Godalming

People who live and work in a Surrey town say their lives are being made a misery by flooding every time it rains heavily.

Residents in Wey Court, Godalming, claim they have regularly experienced surface water in their street for the past three months, with children needing to be carried into two nurseries.

Locals say water levels are now reaching front doors, with drains backing up into homes.

A spokesperson for Thames Water said it was working with “multiple organisations” in the area to “respond to incidents and mitigate future risks”.

Wey Court is a residential street which is home to around 20 bungalows housing elderly and disabled residents, a block of flats, two nurseries and a children’s clothes bank charity.

Resident Shannon Smith said she had sewage coming into her home.

She said: “The smell is absolutely horrendous.”

Richard Mills said: “It happens so often and they’ve just got to sort it out. It’s not very nice, is it?”

Residents say flooding has damaged cars and property, people are forced to park elsewhere at high cost and children and vulnerable people are placed “at constant risk”.

Mairead Cheeseman has sand bags outside the nursery she runs.

She said: “All our children can’t walk through the puddles with their school shoes on.

“It is really inconvenient. You can smell the damp.”

Alice Pavlovets, deputy manager, said: ” We have children with disabilities who struggle to walk through this.”

Paul Follows, leader of Waverley Borough Council, said: “Not only is the road often a lake, it’s also an ice rink in some of the freezing temperatures we’ve had.

“We have social tenants in that area who have been quite significantly impacted.”

Residents say Thames Water has committed to jet the main drain on Sunday to hopefully prevent the flooding from happening again.

A statement from Thames Water read: “We recognise the serious impact that surface water flooding has on residents and customers.

“Flooding in areas that are susceptible to floods like Godalming, involving rivers and surface water, can be complex.

“That’s why we continue to closely work with multiple organisations who are responsible for flooding, such as local authorities, to respond to incidents and mitigate future risks.”