FUMING neighbours claim their homes flood every time it rains – leaving sewage trapped under their floorboards.
Repeated deluges have caused more than £50,000 worth of damage to some houses and brought swarms of rats to the street.
The first major flood hit in 2012 and left one woman's kitchen "floating", before another devastated the neighbourhood in 2017.
But now, locals say their road in the village of No Place, near Stanley, Country Durham, fills with water after rainfall so frequently they "can't keep track".
And sometimes the pools are so deep they reach people's windowsills meaning whole households are stuck indoors.
Andy Hope, who has rented his property on John Street, near Beamish, for more than 20 years, said: "It's a disgrace. Something needs to be done about it."
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The retired builder said he and his family were forced to live in a caravan in the garden following the 2012 flood because it "ruined" the whole downstairs of their house.
And now, rats live in the sewage under his floorboards, which are "rotten and rusted".
Andy, 52, added: "The street has flooded countless times, you can't keep track.
"The sewage is disgusting. There's a farmer's field at the top of the estate and all the fertiliser and manure comes down the street with it and it's all under my floorboards.
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"I've seen three rats in my home after the floods which is awful.
"I don't own the property but if the landlord wanted to fix it, it would cost him tens of thousands.
"I suffer from lung conditions and this makes it so much worse. It's starting to impact my health."
Andy's neighbour Lynn Davies has also suffered extensive damage to her home due to the floods, which she estimates cost her £50,000 to fix.
The 59-year-old shop worker, who bought her terraced home in 2006, said: "The first flood was in 2012 on 'Thunder Thursday'.
"The whole of my downstairs flooded. I looked through the window to see my kitchen floating.
"I had to move out of the house as there was too much damage. It cost a total of £50,000 to replace.
"It was heartbreaking to see my home damaged in this way."
You could swim in it, it was that deep.
Describing the impact of the latest flood, which struck on July 25, Lynn said the water came up to her window.
"You could swim in it, it was that deep," she added.
"I used to be scared whenever it rained but you get used to it, not that I should have to."
Shocking images of last week's flood show filthy water rising to the top of a sloped section of the pavement, turning the road into a river.
The photos echo similar snaps taken by Lynn following the 2012 flood, which left her carpets seeped in sewage.
The once bright flooring was dark and covered in dirt, and her kitchen destroyed after gushing water submerged her countertops.
And to top if off, she claims the destruction has impacted her home insurance, which at one point topped £100 a month.
"I can still get home insurance because the government introduced legislation to ensure we could, but it comes at a premium which isn't affordable," she said.
The flooding has also hit the finances of 41-year-old Deborah Alderson, who has lived in her home for more than two decades.
The customer service advisor was forced to pay for a flood defence in her back garden after her kitchen was "wrecked" and needed all new appliances.
"Luckily, the insurance paid out as it probably cost tens of thousands," she said.
"It was coming in the back and out of the front. It was horrendous.
"Even now, the rain piles up.
"Ever since we added a curb to our back garden, the house hasn't flooded but the neighbours' homes have.
"It isn't even the flooding that is the worst, it's the sewage that comes with it. It's disgusting."
'IT'S DISGUSTING'
Residents blame Durham County Council and Northumbrian Water for not having the necessary measures in place.
They say drains have been widened slightly and sand bags handed out, but it is nowhere near enough.
Instead, they believe the water company should search for and rectify any blockages, while the local authority should fund flood barriers.
Lynn said: "I laugh because we were given sand bags but what are they going to do?"
A spokesperson for Northumbrian Water, which blamed the latest flood on tree roots, said: "We’ve had seven incidents of flooding in John Street in the last 10 years that are due to our network.
"All were resolved and we’re continuing to carry out maintenance work on the most recent issue where tree roots damaged a surface water drain, to avoid this happening again.
"We understand the upset that flooding can cause for people, and dealing with flooding and drainage problems is a high priority for us.
"We’re supporting Durham County Council to further investigate any possible issues with their drainage networks in the area."
Mark Readman, Durham County Council’s head of highways, added: "Last week, we received three calls from residents in John Street, Beamish, asking for support following bad weather.
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"A team attended the following day to clean the gully and found no other issues during the visit.
"We would encourage residents with concerns around flooding to contact us so we can investigate and decide if any further action is needed."
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