Appeal for action on flooding; RUBERY: Failure to stop blight on homes.

Byline: By Mail Reporter

ANGRY families whose lives are blighted by flooding gathered to demand council chiefs find a solution to end their woes.

Almost 100 protesters from Rubery told Worcestershire County Council they had been to "hell and back" because a string of anti-flood measures had failed to stop their homes becoming waterlogged.

But council officials insisted they were doing all they could to end the problems.

Dad-of-five Rod Hewson, who organised the meeting, said 8ft barriers fitted at the back of homes in Callowbrook Lane, Rubery, had failed to stop the flooding.

The 31-year-old, who lives in Callow-brook Lane, branded the system a "joke".

"The Highways Agency said it would cost pounds 5 million to put a proper system in place but the council claimed it couldn't afford it but this cheap alternative has left us counting the cost," he said.

"In the last four years our house has been seriously flooded four times. We have twice had to move out for more than six months at a time."

Mr Hewson said the repeated flooding had taken a heavy toll on his 29-year-old wife, Sarah, who has stress-related arthritis and psoriasis. And he said the constant threat of water intrusion stopped him running his electrical business from his home.

He said he also feared his two foster children, aged 17 and 13, could be taken away if the couple could not provide a secure home for them.

At the meeting, Mr Hewson urged the council's community and response manager, Jon Fraser, to commit to a plan to find a solution. Both sides agreed to meet again in a month to allow the council time to come up with fresh ideas.

CAPTION(S):

ANGER... Rod Hewson (left) and neighbour Paul Swingle lay sandbags outside their houses in a bid to stop flooding.