Family refused to let flood dampen Diwali spirits

Jagdish Gohil decorated his house with hundreds of lights for Diwali

A Nottinghamshire family who returned from holiday to find their home had been "devastated" by flooding were determined to have the dream Diwali.

Jagdish Gohil got back to his home in Edwalton to find a burst pipe had swamped the ground floor of their house.

His family have been living upstairs while they repair the damage after the accident in August.

Mr Gohil, 58, said he decided to go “above and beyond” to decorate the house for Diwali – refusing to let the flood put a dampener on their celebrations.

He has decorated his home with hundreds of lights ahead of a party with neighbours at the weekend.

Mr Gohil said the damage to his house had been "catastrophic"

“It was devastating,” said Mr Gohil, who has lived in the house for 20 years. “When we came home we opened the front door and noticed all this water pouring out.

“The water was ankle deep because the water was running for so long. The first thing on my mind was what are we going to do and where were we going to stay.

“We’ve lost a lot of stuff that’s completely irreplaceable. The whole thing was catastrophic.”

Despite this, the semi-retired landlord, said he was determined the festival of light celebrations should be bigger and better than ever before.

He said decorating the house had made an “amazing difference” to the family’s mental health after a “stressful” few months.

Mr Gohil's son Jaimi said Diwali had "put a smile" on his face

His son, Jaimi Gohil, has assisted with the clean-up operation and helped his dad install the lights outside their home.

The 26-year-old said: “It’s a light at the end of the tunnel; something for us to celebrate.

"If you’ve had a really bad month it’s nice to do something with a smile on your face, rather than talking about what’s next to do with the house.”

Mr Gohil, who has been able to claim for cost of his damage through his house insurance, said he hoped work to restore the house would be completed by the end of November.

He added: “[Diwali] has made an amazing different because it allows us to look at what we’ve been through and what we can look forward to.

“These lights have brought us relief in a dark time.”