Isle of Wight homes flooded after heavy rainfall in Arreton

Brown sludgy water washed off farm fields opposite a row of houses on Main Road during flash floods at around 5pm yesterday.

It flooded the road but also ran into gardens and garages.

Residents want help sweeping up the debris and say no-one has been in touch to offer assistance.

The County Press visited residents today

Scroll down for a video of the flooding.

Alison Cupitt said when she got home, there was a police van outside her house and it looked like "all hell had broken loose".

"My bins were all upturned, the garage was four inches in mud, so my feet just sunk straight in, and we are just left on our own to try and clear it up.

• Read more: Wednesday's live blog on heavy Isle of Wight rainfall 
• Read more: Cllr Suzie Ellis visits Arreton flood site

"We have had no offer of help or anything. We have 83 year old neighbours, one who is blind and deaf, we have to try and help them after we have done ours.

"Island Roads were clearing the road, and we have had to get on with it ourselves. Cllr Suzie Ellis was here - she has been nice but I don’t know what else we can do. 

"This is all over Facebook, clearly the authorities can see what has happened. There has been no preventative measures despite the fact this was predicted. We are opposite a field with no protection whatsoever. It was guaranteed to happen.

"We haven’t made an insurance claim but will have to. We haven’t calculated how much yet. But it is just the clear up, the stink and the mess and everything else. I was supposed to be working from home but have had no electric.

"It is really stressful, I have only lived here since February but to see all of my property in this state, I was up to my ankles in mud trying to lift the bins out.

"We were sitting ducks."

Jade Crawley said there should be ditches and adequate drainage.

She said: "It is exhausting work, clearing the mud. My body has been shaking because I have been digging constantly. I have been up since 6am digging and I have not stopped. It is so heavy. 
"It was terrifying, absolutely terrifying watching it all come in. It was just a running waterfall, it beat the gate open, there was nothing I could do and I thought I should close it but the power of the water would have kept it open. 

"I cannot sit and cry about this, we have to just get on.

"There really needs to be something done. It could cause accidents on this road. It has just been chaos, it has been really awful."

• Read more: Highest rainfall on Isle of Wight during floods

Janet Whatley, 83, said: "It was absolutely gushing down, it burst the bolt off the gate and the gas cylinder went down. The two bins were jammed down but the neighbours came and got them out but it was very heavy.

Janet Whatley and her muddy garden.

"I tried to shovel up, tried to do a bit of the garage as I want to get out tomorrow but I don’t know if I will."

She said she doesn't know where to put all the mud.

The big clean-up in Arreton.

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