SOUTHEND Council is still working out the total cost of the floods, while water bosses fathom if they were to blame in any way.

Andy Lewis, director of planning, said the council was in the process of identifying the full extent of the damage across Southend.

He said: “Lots of damage to carriageway surfaces has been reported and our clean-up operations will be continuing for a few days yet. On Sunday our clean-up efforts was focused on Marine Parade, as this was one of the worst-affected areas.

“We know there are still a number of missing manhole covers that lifted when the sewer systems failed to cope with the volume of water.

“Anglian Water are attending to these, but we would urge drivers to take extra care as they make their way around the borough.”

An Anglian Water spokesman said: “We are committed to working with the other agencies responsible for parts of the drainage networks including the Environment Agency, highways and councils, to investigate and understand if any lessons can be learned. We will, of course, take all possible steps to address any problems.”