Flood-hit residents fear repeat a year on
BBCResidents in a Warwickshire village that was hit by flooding for the first time in more than 20 years in 2024, fear they face the same deluge again this year.
On 3 January last year, the people of Wolston saw the repercussions of Storm Henk, with flooding causing thousands of pounds of damage.
Residents have now told the BBC that not enough has been done to help prevent future problems, with several people worried their houses will be flooded again.
The government said that after significant flooding affects more than 25 properties in an area funding for defences is made available to the local authority.
Robert Gyde, a victim of the 2024 deluge, said it took weeks to get his cottage back to normal, and it resulted in his insurance premium doubling, though he was relieved he could still get cover.
On the day of the flooding, water swept under his front door and through the house, leaving him having to scramble to get his possessions to safety.
Carpets started to float
"I moved what I could upstairs. We got the settee from the front room and put it on the kitchen top to try and save it," he said.
"We moved all the electrics upstairs - unfortunately I missed the BT Hub. That fried."
He used a dustpan and brush to try and get water out of the back door, as the floods encroached on his house and caused his carpets to float.
"We're all worried about it happening again. What we need to do is get defences in as opposed to being reactive, [we need to be] proactive," he told the BBC.
As the floods came as a surprise to the village, residents had little time to prepare for what was coming.
Councillor Tim Willis, chair of Wolston Parish Council, said: "We weren't expecting it and we were caught out, there hadn't been floods for 20 to 25 years and the expectation we would get flooded out wasn't on anyone's agenda."
A flood defence group has since been set up by volunteers, so people can react more quickly if floods do happen again.
However, some residents think more needs to be done.
Shan Dobinson told the BBC that while agencies were more aware of flooding, a flood alert warning was not enough.
"What am I supposed to do when this brook overflows and comes into my house? I can't stop it," she said.
After significant flooding events, it is the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) that will release funding for defences to local authorities if more than 25 properties have been severely affected, with a grant of up to £5000, per eligible property.
However, the work must be paid for in advance and then claimed back retrospectively, meaning some residents in Wolston have not been able to afford to pay for their own defences.
Roy Stokes, from the Environment Agency, told the BBC: "I think I'd probably be the same if I were in their shoes, but the way that the funding is issued for those £5,000 grants, the rules around that are fixed.
"It has to be fairly tight and fairly well controlled - this is public money that is being spent."
Mr Gyde has had his DEFRA grant accepted and is hoping to have special flood barriers fitted outside his door. Only then, he says, will he have peace of mind.
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