"Every time it rains you think it will happen again" One year on we spoke to the Derbyshire residents impacted by the Storm Babet floods

On October 20 2023, several homes on Windermere Road in Clay Cross were flooded after the nearby Smithy Brook overflowed, leaving dozens of residents temporarily homeless.

One year on, only a handful of residents have been able to move back into their homes.

Paul and Anne Greenfield were away for the weekend on the day their house flooded.

Paul said: “We only knew what was happening because of our son and daughter telling us. We came back to the devastation the next day and we couldn’t really believe it.”

The husband and wife are one of the first households who have managed to move back into their Windermere Road home.

The couple lost almost all of their possessions and appliances on the ground floor of the house, including Paul’s collection of motorbikes and e-bikes.

Though they have been lucky enough to move back into their home, both Paul and Anne still worry of similar flooding happening again in the future.

Anne said: “I think somebody needs to get the brook cleaned out. I think a lot of people would be a lot happier to think that somebody had at least tried to do something, and give it a good clear out. It would mean that people wouldn’t have to worry quite as much.”

Many more Windermere Road residents are still way off moving back into their homes, including husband and wife Linda and Alan Round.

Linda said: “We’re hoping to get the carpets down and be back in the house by Christmas but we don’t know. Then you think, do we really want carpets down if they just get flooded again, or just have the floorboards and put some sawdust down to live like we’re in the olden days.”

She added: “You’ve got to make a joke of these things because if you don’t you’ll just get upset because it has been a really awful time.”

Alan and Linda were both at home when their ground floor– including a newly renovated kitchen, became submerged under three to four feet of dirty water.

After being evacuated by the police, the husband and wife spent months in the run up to Christmas last year with no permanent accommodation. They were forced to move between various pubs and hotels that were booked up during the holiday period, before eventually finding a temporary place to rent.

Linda said: “We were very lucky to find somewhere, and we are still in there now. We’re grateful for it but it’s not home.”

Though they are slowly making progress towards moving back into their home, Alan and Linda find it difficult to relax, with the prospect of future flooding at the back of their mind.

Alan said: “The trouble is now, everytime it rains you think it will happen again. You’re worried all the time, and there’s no peace of mind.

“There was that heavy rain the other week and we were just on edge.”

Mandy Bingham is another resident who was in her home when the flooding began.

Mandy recalled: “It all happened so quickly, you didn’t have time to move anything. The water just moved so quick, and it only took about ten minutes before it was over my wellies.

“You can’t explain to people how quick it came and how frightening it was. You were in shock and just didn’t have a chance to do anything.”

Mandy and her husband, Neil, managed to leave their home, and their son helped rescue several other residents in his 4x4.

Whilst work is done to their house, Mandy and Neil Have spent the past year living in a caravan on their drive.

Mandy believes that there has been a lack of action from local authorities to mitigate potential future flooding.

She said: “I don’t think local authorities have shown any interest at all. They don’t want to know. They’re not interested in clearing the brook out and they’re not interested in clearing any of the silt out from under the bridge. I don’t think they’ve taken it seriously at all.”

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “We do understand the concerns that have been raised by residents in the Clay Lane area and we continue to support them with measures to try and help prevent flooding. We’ve been working to secure some additional clearance work in the brook, which was identified as an issue when we had a site visit with residents.

“We’ve had applications for grants for the flood resilience fund from 16 properties on Windermere Road, and we continue to work with all partners to try to identify a viable scheme to mitigate flooding in the future.”

A spokesperson for North East Derbyshire District Council added: “The immediate action taken by NEDDC in response to Storm Babet included site visits to the areas worst affected by the flood and provided them with information for multiple agencies and organisations who could provide much needed support. The council helped with clearance work for some of the houses affected (with their consent) and council tax discounts were given to flood affected properties. A flood recovery grant was established and supported approximately 90 properties totalling £44,000 and flooded businesses were supported with £2,500 grants.

"The council issued an update to residents affected in July 2024, highlighting the recovery efforts made alongside partners and provided vital information detailing the on-going work with other organisations which continues to take place. Outcomes such as the flooding investigation report were shared, along with transparency information about ongoing meetings with partners to address drainage related flooding issues, culvert maintenance, highway gully cleansing and winter preparedness advice was issued so residents and businesses can be prepared (as best they can) in the event of a flooding emergency.

“The council is currently warning and informing residents and businesses on how to be prepared through their residents magazine which gives information on how to prepare for an emergency, key alerts to sign up to and are actively working with partners sharing messages through social networks, digital platforms and meeting regularly with the Derbyshire Local Resilience Partnerships.”