Family home hit by flooding nightmare

The Booth family have been left homeless after their house in Cleveleys was flooded. Pictured is Monica Booth with daughter Samantha Booth, aged 2.

Darren and Monica Booth, of Cheviot Avenue, were shocked when water suddenly appeared from underneath the kitchen unit at their privately rented dormer bungalow, during torrential rain last Wednesday night.

Within just two hours it was two feet deep and rising and they were forced to sleep in their car, with their three children all aged under five.

The couple say they desperately tried to get temporary accommodation the next day and hoped local authority Wyre Council would be able to help.

The Booth family have been left homeless after their house in Cleveleys was flooded

But they say they the council contact did not ring back and they were only able to get somewhere to stay when their landlords let them use a second property in Marton, Blackpool, not intended for rent.

The couple say carpets and furniture have been ruined by sewage-affected water.

Monica, 33, said: “It has been a nightmare and if it hadn’t been for our landlord helping us out for the next few weeks, we would be homeless.”

A Wyre Council spokesman said: “If we did have contact with the family on Thursday we would have offered emergency temporary accommodation as per homeless legislation.

“However, we did speak to Monica directly on Friday and at this time the households were already housed and were receiving food items and clothes from Home Start.”