ANGLIAN Water has issued a statement after heavy rain left parts of a key road "underwater" this morning.

Thorpe Hall Avenue was closed towards Royal Artillery Way between the Woodgrange Drive roundabout and the A13 roundabout this morning as crews worked quickly on site to pump away floodwater.

Residents said the road was "underwater" towards the roundabout with a "river" of surface water in the opposite direction.

The Echo understands the flooding has now been cleared, and Anglian Water says its teams worked hard to take the water away "as quickly as possible".

An Anglian Water spokesman said: “Intense rainfall can cause standing water to build up, especially on hard surfaces because there’s nowhere for it to go, and this causes surface water flooding. It’s a bit like a bath plughole, and it takes time for the water to drain away.

“Our teams are working hard across the region to ensure our sewer network is running as it should and can take this surface water away as quickly as possible.

“Responsibility for flooding and drainage requires response from many different organisations, businesses, and landowners, and it will take a combined response from all involved to put together a plan to address the issue in the long term.”

Part of Anglian Water's plans to tackle persistent flooding plaguing the key road includes a new £350,000 water tank, revealed by bosses earlier this month at a water summit, to help catch excess rainwater. This could be delivered as early as March next year.

The spokesman added: “We’re also pleased to be working with Southend Council, the Regional Flood Coastal Committee and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the Marine Parade sustainable water management scheme.

"Our sewer network in Southend currently sees high levels of surface water infiltration during heavy and sustained rain – which, alongside high tides, causes flooding. This project will help alleviate flooding in Southend – and reduce the use of storm overflows – by managing much of this surface water along Marine Parade in a more sustainable way, helping reduce the pressure on our sewer network.”