VILLAGERS say they were left to fend for themselves after freak rainfall caused their homes and possessions to be wrecked by flooding.

The deluge affected numerous homes in Great Bromley with some households reporting three inches of water draining from the road and into their homes.

Steve Hook, of Ardleigh Road, said he had attempted to call Essex County Council overflowing drains phone number to try and get some sandbags but received no response.

He said: "It started raining and then just started getting heavier and heavier.

"I looked outside and then could see the front garden was under water and I have been here for 16 years and not seen that.

"It started flowing into the house and it had badly damaged everything - the wooden floors, the sofa, the stairs and anything which was on the ground at the time.

"I called the helpline and didn't get any answer.

"We had to make our own sandbags out of what we could get hold of and with help from a farmer up the road.

"At the moment I am still living in the house because luckily the kitchen is on a slightly higher level to the rest of the ground floor."

The downpour began on Saturday lunchtime, and residents have blamed the flooding on a combination of the drainage system not working correctly, the lack of raised kerb on Ardleigh Road and the heavy rain.

District councillor for the area Fred Nicholls said the situation was "unacceptable".

He said: "The council has been dragging their heels over this.

"Residents were phoning a number on Saturday and were not getting any response, and their calls were being automatically timed out.

"That is unacceptable.

"The highways authority are not going to stop it raining but could have offered some help, advice or come out with some sandbags.

"Tendring Council have been out to help, but it is Essex County Council which is responsible for flooding."

Mr Nicholls has written to Essex County Council leader David Finch to express his concerns.

An Essex County Council spokesperson said: "Highways engineers have attended this site in Hall Road, Great Bromley, which leads into Ardleigh Road, on Wednesday.

"Tendring Council have cleaned out nearby ditches and a Highways crew have jetted the drains, which are now working correctly.

"Anglian Water are also due to visit the area to check that their surface water system is working properly. We are confident this will make a significant difference if there is similarly heavy rainfall in future."

The spokesman added Essex County Council does not have an emergency helpline and any serious situations should be reported to the emergency services.

An Anglian Water spokesman said: "Following very heavy and localised rainfall, our teams have been in the Ardleigh Road area, helping customers who have been affected by surface water flooding.

"Our teams believe the cause of the flooding is due to very heavy and localised downpour, rather than any one system issue on our network.