‘Evicted by nature’ after Flitwick house ruined in flood

A couple who had to leave their house for 11 months after it was badly flooded said they do not want to live in fear of another washout.

Bradley Wynne and his partner only returned to their Flitwick cottage in August after devastating floods hit the town last September.

“There’s an emotional trauma of being evicted by the force of nature,” said Mr Wynn, 37.

He believes silted drains and a traffic calming hump outside their cottage contributed to the problem.

Central Bedfordshire Council was contacted for comment.

The couple moved into the 1850s cottage in May 2023, hoping it would be their “forever home”.

“It was the second place we’d owned, and we fell in love with it.

“Unfortunately, a lot of the character of the place had to be replaced as part of the flood repair work, such as original wooden floors,” said Mr Wynne.

He was at home on Sunday 22 September when a heavy thunderstorm broke out.

“I ran downstairs to find our whole patio a foot deep in water, and it was creeping in through the back door. I found a pair of swim shorts, emptied the recycling bin and used it as a bucket.

“We were so preoccupied with bailing out the kitchen and garden gym, we didn’t realise the same thing was happening at the front. The water met in the middle of the house.”

“Cars driving past our house and over the traffic hump were sending barrel waves through the front garden, which flowed into the front door.”

He said the insurance claim had come to about £100K including the cost of renting alternative accommodation for 11 months.

Mr Wynn said the insurance company had “been very considerate and done a good job”.

However, seeing contractors “trash our house and take it right back to its structure”, and overseeing the insurance claim meant his “mental health had really suffered”.

Although Mr Wynne is relieved to finally be back home, he wants the council to take action to protect it from future flash floods.

“All the water comes down our street then diverts down our garden. I feel one contributor was the traffic calming hump right outside our cottage.

“Also, the drains weren’t maintained. You can see weeds growing out of them. I appreciate the council have stretched budgets, but this needs fixing.”

Mr Wynne said he contacted the council about both issues but was told regarding drains “our engineers have determined that this doesn’t feature as a priority for repair”.

“Highways started to engage but later decided not to bother. The council passed our complaint on to an external legal company who didn’t engage.

“I appreciate they have stretched budgets. I’m not looking to make money, but we don’t want to live in fear of flooding every time it rains. Especially when we go away,” he said.

A report found that a month’s worth of rainfall fell in just 48 hours during the September 2024 floods.

Central Bedfordshire Council has yet to respond to a request for comment.

It previously said that, along with floods in January 2024, the cost to the council had been £1.158m.