Leicestershire families unable to return home after Storm Henk

Simel Kara said the flooding led to an "apocalyptic scenario" in his mother's home

Families who were forced to move out of their severely flooded homes during Storm Henk are yet to return, four months on.

People across Leicestershire are still suffering the effects of the storm, which brought widespread flooding to the county in January.

Shobhna Kara, 73, is still sofa surfing after her Leicester home was flooded by one metre (3.2ft) of water.

Her son, Simel, said the flooding was an "apocalyptic scenario".

Mrs Kara, who lost her husband two weeks after Storm Henk, is still unable to move back into her home in Rushey Mead, which has been stripped of its plaster and flooring.

The family has insurance but say they are still tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket after the flooding.

Mr Kara said the state of his mother's home, which backs on to Melton Brook, was "like a horror movie".

Shobhna Kara's home was badly damaged during Storm Henk and subsequent flooding

"Everything below one metre (3.2ft) was completely lost across the whole ground floor of the property.

"Kids toys, sentimental items of value, all the furniture, everything really was damaged.

"Everything that we've lovingly put together over the last almost 50 years is completely lost."

In Loughborough, Alison Hartshorn, 63, and her husband Andrew, 67, have been living in and out of different hotels for the past four months.

Their home has been stripped but they do not know when work can start on the property as dehumidifiers are still working to remove moisture.

Alison Hartshorn's home is still not ready to move back into after Storm Henk caused widespread damage in January

Mrs Hartshorn said: "The hotels have been covered by the insurance, but the food wasn't or the travelling backwards and forwards.

"It's left a big hole in whatever savings we did have - it's wiped that out."

Her son, Ryan, said he has been told the property might not be ready for work until after Christmas.

"It's just pure disbelief," he said.

Both families are asking for reassurance their homes will not flood again.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said the body knows how "devastating" flooding can be.

"During Storm Henk we saw the highest river levels ever recorded at all of our river gauges on the River Soar and many of its tributaries, including the Melton Brook," they said."A flood warning service is in place on the Melton Brook and is being refined to ensure that sufficient time to act is given. "Since Storm Henk we have carried out vegetation clearance and removed blockages which were flagged by residents."