FIREFIGHTERS in south Essex were bombarded with more than 300 flood-related calls on Saturday night, it has been revealed.

Roads were left impassable and families forced to flee their homes after drainage systems in parts of Hockley, Canvey, Westcliff, Rayleigh, Basildon, Billericay and Leigh, simply couldn’t cope following hours of torrential rain.

On Canvey, Tracy Fisher, 52, and daughter Elle, 16, had just minutes to move as many of their belongings as possible to the upstairs of their house as water gushed in.

Mrs Fisher, of San Remo Road, said: “I was at work when it started and my daughter rang to say the water was getting really high.

“When I arrived home, water was flooding the drive.

“We began moving things upstairs and minutes later water started coming in to the house.

“We were fighting a losing battle.

“The other issue was that the road had not been shut, so as cars came down the road, it was like a tidal wave.Istarted to get very upset.”

Mrs Fisher and her next doorneighbour Irene Staines’ homes were the only two in the street to be flooded because they are in a dip.

She added: “I was so upset. The insurance company said we could go to a hotel, butIwas feeling sentimental, so me, my husband and daughter stayed upstairs. My neighbours were brilliant, they have really looked after us.

“This morning when we came down the water had gone, but it’s just left behind devastation.”

Residents living in Delfzul Road were unable to use their toilets following the downpours.

Eileen Payne, 83, said: “Its absolutely disgusting.

The drainage here is terrible and I know this is happening everywhere, but if the rest of the island can use their toilets why can’t we?

“We can’t do it in a bucket.

“We are in our eighties we shouldn’t have to put up with this.