Flooding forces family out of 'uninhabitable' home

The former home of Raine Grosvenor and son George in Hellingly during a period of intense flooding

A woman who left her East Sussex home due to persistent and unresolved flooding issues said the last few years had been "emotionally and mentally" damaging.

Raine Grosvenor and her son George, who both have autism and agoraphobia, were among those affected by sewage flooding caused by Storm Ciarán, which wreaked havoc in Hellingly just over two years ago.

Ms Grosvenor said the pair were rehoused in July last year because "the living conditions were so dire", and accused Southern Water of failing to resolve repeat issues.

Southern Water said it had "invested in a range of solutions to keep excess water out of our pipes and fitted anti-flood devices on homes".

Hellingly experienced flooding in 2024 and 2025, with Southern Water confirming last month that it was surveying 70 properties in the village to see if surface water drains could be disconnected from sewers.

Ms Grosvenor said while still living in Hellingly she "wrote to everybody" at Southern Water but had to leave a home which had become "uninhabitable" and sold it for a substantial loss.

This left mother and son relying on local authority assistance.

She said: "I had to go to Wealden [District] Council homeless register and Brighton Housing Trust (BHT) helped.

"It was too traumatic to put George in temporary housing because of his difficulties but thankfully we were found the accommodation by the council that we are now in."

While she is grateful that the council and BHT "took us under their wing", Ms Grosvenor said the move came at a heavy price.

'The damage was done'

She said: "We lost everything in the flood and moved with just a few clothes...my son still panics when it rains, thinking it will flood."

Alongside the ongoing surveys, Southern Water said it had invested £1.2m in recent years on sealing up to 2km (1.2 miles) of sewer pipes and manholes in Hellingly.

Ms Grosvenor said the measures were "too late for us".

"The damage was done physically, emotionally and mentally," she added.

"Not even taking responsibility to us or an apology. As for the promised compensation, we saw nothing."

A Southern Water spokesperson said: "We understand how devastating flooding can be for those affected.

"While we are not the lead agency on flood response and planning, we do support local authorities and the Environment Agency in this work.

"Our job is to make sure our network continues to operate as it should – but this can be a major challenge in places like Hellingly which are prone to river and groundwater flooding.

"In recent years, we have invested in a range of solutions to keep excess water out of our pipes and fitted anti-flood devices on homes. We're now surveying the area to locate surface water drains which can be disconnected from sewers that would further help."