Flood-hit villagers urged to think before they flush

George Dryden and Sana Shaikh, from the flood action group, wanted to raise awareness about fatbergs

A woman whose home was badly flooded after heavy rain in a village has urged people to be mindful of what they flush down the toilet.

George Dryden's home was badly affected back in January during heavy rain which caused flooding in Great Glen, Leicestershire.

She is now part of a flood action group which aims to educate people about what they can do to prevent damage to their homes.

The group challenged pupils at the local school to come up with ideas for a poster on the issue, which was won by five-year-old Myla.

Myla's poster will be put up across the village

Children at St Cuthbert's CofE Primary School, who took part in the competition, learned about fatbergs, which are accumulated lumps of fat from cooking oils, toilet and other food waste, and how they could block the drains.

Some of the finalists told the BBC the easiest way to remember what is safe to flush down the toilet is to think of it as "the three Ps" - poo, pee, and paper.

"We knew that children were really good teachers, so we knew they were going to go home and reinforce the message to their parents, which they have already been doing," Ms Dryden added.

"Even if what you're putting down your toilet or sink isn't going to stop the flooding, it could be the difference between [the water] in someone's house being just above the skirting board and over their knees.

"So everything that everybody can do really makes a difference."

Ms Dryden says she has not returned to her home since the flooding in January.

This was due delays in repairs and her entire kitchen needing re-doing, she added.

Ms Dryden says she has not returned to her home since the flooding in January

It is the second time her house has been affected, and she has also had two cars signed off.

"I do feel very nervous about moving back before January," she said.

"Because January has always been when it's happened, and every single time the weather is bad - and I'm not alone in this - it makes you really anxious.

"There's a website where you can look at river levels and it updates every half an hour, and I spent all of Friday afternoon on it.

"But then I thought well, actually, if it does flood what can I do?

"I've had flood barriers the first time it happened. This time with the flood, it actually went on top of them, so they were of no use to me whatsoever."

Fatbergs can "exacerbate" the effects of flooding, says the chairwoman of the action group Sana Shaikh.

"All the water in the village, everything in the drains, goes in the river. If there is a blockage, the water is not getting anywhere.

"So it's going to come out of a manhole. And if it's sewage, you don't want contaminated, dirty water."