'Every time it rains we fear our homes will flood'

Kelvin Furniss said he hoped his home's new flood defences would keep water at bay in the future

People living in a flood-hit Leicestershire town say they fear their lives will be upended again this winter.

Dozens of properties in Syston were deluged with water on 6 January when Barkby Brook burst its banks after torrential rain during what officials said was the worst flooding in the county's recent history.

Many people were forced to move out of their homes for months while repairs were made and furniture and fittings were replaced with work still going on 11 months later.

Ankle-deep water gushed through Kelvin Furniss's house in University Close destroying the floors and he said he feared the "nightmare" scenes could be repeated at any time.

Mr Furniss said: "We've been here 45 years plus and never seen anything like it.

"The water just kept coming and coming.

"Now every time it rains, we're sitting here waiting for the next flood.

"We can't ever be relaxed, it's 24-7, it feels like not if it will happen again but when."

Mr Furniss said he and his wife Madeleine spent nine months in a rental property as repairs were made.

He added: "Two months on and we're still not finished. It's been so costly and disruptive. My insurance has gone up from £300 to £1,200 a year.

"We've built walls, lifted the patio doors up by inches and put flood barriers up on the door.

"We hope that will be enough [to stop floodwater] but we can't be sure."

Parts of Syston were overwhelmed by flooding in January

Trev Davies said he nervously watched water levels in the brook every day

Trev Davies, 70, moved into his bungalow in College Road, next to Barkby Brook three weeks before the January flooding.

"I was barely moved in before I had to move out again and I couldn't get back in until July.

"The flood affected nearly everyone on this street. It was a complete disaster.

"There are still skips up and down the street with [flood-damaged] furniture now.

"I feel sorry for everyone and it could easily happen again at any time. I look at the brook daily because I'm so close," he said.

Maureen Lawson's home was left covered in mud after the flooding

Syston flood warden Tim Lewin said he and his colleagues were ready to come to the aid of flood victims like Maureen Lawson

Maureen Lawson, 84, said she still felt stressed thinking about the rushing water, five inches (12.7cm) deep, which entered her home causing damage that forced her to move out for eight months.

She said she sat up for two nights during Storm Claudia earlier this month fearing floodwater would surge back into her house.

"I can't really stand or move unaided and I was so worried. I remember what happened [in January] when all the boxes under my bed were floating around and the paperwork and books in the lounge.

"I didn't want that to happen again," she said.

Skips remain a common sight in flood-hit streets in Syston with builders still repairing damage and installing prevention measures

Tim Lewin, one of Syston's flood wardens, told the BBC: "The flooding in January was catastrophic for so many people.

"Since then there have been builders in all of the properties affected doing repairs and putting in flood defences.

"Everyone has a horror story to tell and people get very nervous every time the skies darken," he said.

Mr Lewin said residents "were lucky during Storm Claudia" but have to be prepared.

"We have lots of housing development on fields near the town so the water can't go there and we know there aren't a lot of resources for things like gully cleaning.

"But what we can do is be ready for the next flooding event - have the sandbags nearby - and know where vulnerable residents, like Maureen, are so we can help them as quickly as possible," he added.

Leicestershire County Council is the lead flood authority for the county.

Councillor Adam Tilbury, Reform UK cabinet member for environment and flooding, said the authority's administration planned to do more to support flood-prone communities like Syston.

"We realised the risk at Leicestershire has been flooding with the two storm events in recent memory so we moved £2m over from an unspecified net zero fund into flooding to help with more maintenance, cleaner drains, gutters, culverts, with highways, as well with a regular maintenance of the roads."

Tilbury accepted the £2m was "a drop in the ocean" but said it would help county residents at risk of flooding.