A flood victim has told how her home flooded in minutes after the storm broke.

Lauren Willoughby, 32, of Marchioness Way, Eaton Socon, said five out of the ten homes in the area where she lives were flooded.

“I’m feeling a bit stressed,” said Lauren, who lives at the house with her husband Anthony, 35, and their two cats.

Lauren said: “I went upstairs for 10 minutes when my neighbour messaged me about flooding. I ran downstairs and put my foot straight in the water. It happened very quickly.

“At the time I just panicked. I just got towels and got my husband to come home and my mum round. Friends dropped off mops and I just wanted to get the water up.

“Outside I could see the coming out of the drain and into our garden. People had complained years ago about the drains not being cleaned out.”

Lauren said her downstairs floors had lifted as a result of the water getting into the house.

She said Anglian Water and the council were coming out to assess the situation in an area she had thought was unlikely to flood because of its position.

She said the water had come up so quickly the drains had been unable to cope.

Neighbour Ian Thomson, 68, said he had travelled around the world with the McLaren car racing team and the army but had never seen rain like it.

“The rain was coming down so hard it was coming through the cat flap,” Mr Thomson said. “I have never seen rain like it before.

“Next door had water up to the windowsill and out new £1,200 oak floor has lifted. Our suede corner unit sucked up the water like a sponge and the legs on our oak furniture have swollen.”

Mr Thomson said: “The kitchen will have to be replaced. I’m 68 and I’m pretty jacked off, to be truthful.

“We have a storm drain outside the back gate and water was coming three feet up in the air.”

Mr Thomson, who has been shielding through chest conditions, said: “We have been here 20 years and have never seen anything like it. There was a small flood 16 years go and they promised to fix the drains then.”