Family describe leaving home after floods

Lynsey and Martin Stanton said it could be months until they are able to return home

A family of five have described being forced to flee their home following recent torrential rainfall.

The Stanton family are not able to return to their home of 18 years on the Strand in Ryde, Isle of Wight, due to flood damage caused last Wednesday.

They are currently living at dad Martin Stanton's place of work, a Christian charity called Urban Saints, where he is a chef.

It is the fourth significant flood they have experienced while living in their basement flat and they are uncertain if or when they will be able to return home.

Many of the family's belongings were ruined

The Isle of Wight was hit by widespread flooding last week and water started coming into their home at about 07:00 GMT.

Lynsey Stanton, her husband Martin and their 17, 13 and three-year-old children were awake and able to leave the property.

Mrs Stanton said: "I thought it was just going to be like one of the floods from the past but I quite quickly realised this was on a different scale entirely.

"It was coming from everywhere, every window, door, anywhere it could get in and it was rising really quickly."

Mrs Stanton said the rain was at waist height when they left but it was reaching their shoulders when they later returned to check on their home.

She has thanked everyone who has helped them since the family was forced to leave.

"We were just in shock but we've had so much support from friends and family," she added.

This is the fourth flood the family have experienced while living in their basement flat

The family said all of their belongings have been destroyed after the water, which included sewage, filled the property.

Mrs Stanton is uncertain when or if they will be able to return to the property, which she said they were unable to obtain insurance for.

"It's a huge clean-up operation. If we do go back we're looking at quite a few months," she said.

Mrs Stanton said this kind of flooding had not happened on the Strand in Ryde since flood defences have been in place in the area.

"We've got to try and find out what went wrong this time," she added.

The Environment Agency said it would review the recent flooding on the Isle of Wight.

The Island is braced for more heavy rainfall as Storm Ciarán arrives on Thursday.