Published: Thursday, 21st August, 2008 17:45
FAMILY TRAPPED AFTER FLASH FLOOD
By Eitan Grant
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A JOHNSTONE family was left trapped this week as flash floods surrounded the outside of their house with water.
Raging mum-of-two Susan Cook was stranded when a drain on Greenend Avenue flooded and created a moat around her home.
Susan, 27, said: “The water has risen to about 15 inches deep in the back garden - we can’t go in or out the house.
“My two kids can’t get outside to play every time it rains heavily.
“This problem has been going on since we moved in six months ago but no-one’s doing anything about it.”
The concerned mum of Megan, 7 and little Kai, 5, loves living in the town’s Howwood Road area but is sick of the situation which is ‘beyond sandbags’.
She claims that Renfrewshire Council’s housing officers have not been out to see how bad the flooding is and is demanding that something is done ‘before something really bad happens.’
Her son suffered from pneumonia last December and Susan worries that he might be at risk should the flooding continue.
She said: “Kai was in a really bad state in hospital and I’m afraid that it might come back.
“I keep finding ants in the kids’ beds and wardrobes because their rooms are permanently damp.”
Susan’s neighbours Kathleen Smith and John McEwan were also flooded out, leaving them to cope with two distressed children and a newborn baby.
A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “The council sent three pumping vehicles, one tanker, one gully motor and a 12 man crew to work with emergency services to clear the water on Thursday afternoon.
“The next day a vacuum brush was sent to clean the road and pavements.
“Scottish Water have been asked to investigate any problem with sewers which are their responsibility.
“We will be contacting residents in the street to check if any damage has been done to their properties. However, residents should contact their insurers regarding damage to their contents.
“Drainage problems in the area have been extensively investigated by the council and Scottish Water.
“The problem is lack of capacity in the sewer which we have been working together to solve.”
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