England floods: Gloucestershire residents thwarted in water battle

Karina and Clive Speaks have taken to using a boat to get about in.

Villagers have been thwarted in their attempts to stop their homes and businesses flooding after rivers burst their banks.

And the Environment Agency has warned it will be some time before the high water levels subside in Gloucestershire.

In Chaceley near Tewkesbury, residents have taken to getting around in boats.

Clive and Karina Speaks said they could not stop the water as it came through their home's walls on Saturday.

"The most terrifying part was going to bed not knowing what we were going to wake up to," said Mrs Speaks.

Karina Speaks said the community has been wonderful in making sure they are okay

"It's into the house, the garden's disappeared and we've run out of heating oil," said Mr Speaks.

The village community spirit however, has been "excellent with people checking on how we are", Mrs Speaks added.

Water began to pour into The Boat Inn at Ashleworth just after midnight on Saturday

Hazel Smith and Mark Fox, who run The Boat Inn on the banks of the River Severn at Ashleworth near Gloucester, were up most of the night trying to protect it with sandbags.

"It's very upsetting to see the hours and hours of your hard work destroyed," said Ms Smith.

Mr Fox, a member of the Severn Area Rescue Association (Sara), was also involved in pulling a car out of flood water as it tried to drive down to the pub.

"I was at a 40th birthday party when the pagers went off. I got in the car and found a BMW up to its roof in water," he said.

SARA rescued the people from the BMW which had been driven into the flood water

"They drove into the flood water, but in fairness at that point there were no signs so they weren't to know."

In total, Sara helped more than 100 stranded vehicles due to flood water on Saturday.