‘Floods hit garden for my late husband’: Harlow homes hit by heavy deluges

Properties in Golden Close, Old Harlow were damaged and one family was forced to leave their home after the deluge hit the area hard, as well as parts of East London.

A row of seven homes in Old Harlow was badly affected with one grieving widow’s garden memorial for her husband destroyed.

The flooding even prompted Harlow MP Robert Halfon to demand action from the Government and Harlow Council to support badly affected families.

Wanda Barnard, 59, who lived in Golden Close said the floods have been terrible.

She’s revamped her garden in memory of her late husband who died in May after battling cancer and the floods ruined it all.

She said: “There are seven bungalows that were affected and this is the second time in two weeks we had this happen.

“The family in one of the bungalows had to be moved out after the first flood due to water flowing right through the property.”

“Six of the bungalows have had damage caused to the gardens, outside electrics and furniture, as well as contents of our sheds.

“One of the bungalows also experienced some internal damage.

“A few weeks ago my husband passed away and his last wish was to get our garden sorted.

“We spent several thousand pounds getting artificial grass, decking and having our borders sorted.

“We also brought a water feature in his memory. The first flood washed away one side of our border and ruined some of the items in our shed.

“This second flood has now seen the artificial grass collapsing in parts around the sides where the water sat for so long.

“I have contacted the MP so hope he can help get it resolve.

“I think it’s poorly maintained equipment or the equipment is not fit for purpose as Thames Water said it’s caused by heavy rain going down small pipes.

“It’s not happened before with heavy rain and the main road opposite has been undergoing major works for quite some time and there have been burst pipes over there and several power cuts too.”

She shared images and videos on social media of the deep flood waters outside the homes and overflowing drain covers on the estate.

Harlow Council bosses say housing officers went door-to-door to see how tenants were getting on in the affected areas.

Joel Charles, Deputy Leader of Harlow Council, said: “The flooding incidents impacted a number of residents across the town. The council is committed to providing whatever support is necessary to help those who have been affected by this flooding.

“Work is ongoing to manage the clean-up within affected housing estates. I know that there are further weather warnings in place.

“The council is monitoring local weather reports closely and will work with relevant agencies and the emergency services if further heavy rainfall impacts the town later this week. Every effort will be made by the council to provide the necessary support to those who might be affected by adverse weather in the coming days.”