PROPERTY damage caused by heavy rainfall has left residents of a Reading street 'devastated' as they are left without solutions to what they deem a continuous issue.

Paul Clarke, who lives in Stone Street, told The Chronicle how his home and his neighbours' properties were left submerged by floods following the recent heavy downpours.

He said: "It flowed into our homes and has left loads of filth in my house.

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"It isn't the first time, and when we contact Reading Borough Council (RBC), they say it's the responsibility of Thames Water, who tell us the opposite.

"Either way, it's us who suffer from it."

Mr Clarke believes the issue, which he says has been affecting the area for a number of years, is due to continuous developments.

"Our properties are built on a slope and there isn't enough drainage.

"As more and more developments are planned, we have suffered the aftermath."

He said that environmental authorities have previously classified the properties as being at risk of flooding due to the location of the Thames, but Mr Clarke said the issues have worsened from constant updates made to the area.

"My house has been here for 110 years," he said.

"My garden is 1.5 metres below the ground level of the property and this week it was totally flooded.

"There's nowhere for the water to go, half a foot of water was in my house - the electrics tripped and lots of my home has been left damaged."

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My Clarke said neighbours had also been suffering.

He added: "It is devastating for this to happen, especially at this time.

"Some of my neighbours are old and some have been really struggling.

"One has been left really upset by it - her family has had to help as she had water flowing through her house."

He described the street as looking like "a pond" after this week's weather, and says he is reluctant to clean it away as he knows more extreme weather is expected and it will happen again.

Mr Clarke added: "It is a long-standing problem and we need more drains and flood defences.

"Planning applications further erode the greenspaces that are essential to allowing rainfall to dissipate naturally."

A spokesman from Thames Water said: "We're sorry to anyone affected by flooding in Stone Street and have teams on the scene to support customers.

"Periods of heavy rainfall put enormous pressure on our sewers, pumping stations and treatment sites, which can be overwhelmed by the sheer volume.

"We’ve arranged for sewers in the area to be cleaned, ensuring they can operate at full capacity and there are no blockages which could potentially lead to sewage spilling out in to homes, businesses or the environment."

Since speaking to The Chronicle, Mr Clarke said RBC have now pumped the drains on the street, but believes prevention of flooding in the first place would be more worthwhile.

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A spokesman from RBC said: "The intense rainfall on Tuesday caused localised flooding on roads and some gardens across Reading. "Surface sewers are designed for a one in 30 year rain event, so anything above this can cause localised flooding issues.

"The council attended each reported incident as quickly as capacity allowed.

"We continue to explore funding opportunities for a long term solution for Stone Street, which would involve both Thames Waters surface water mains and council land, to relieve pressure during these intense rainfall events."