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Cottage and roads flooded
Area saturated after brook bursts banks
A startled family were woken up in the early hours of yesterday morning (Thursday, August 26) by the sound of flowing water and found their garden flooded after an underpass close to a brook became blocked with debris.
Stotfold resident Jane Millett looked out of the window of the family's 19th century thatched cottage and immediately woke her husband Ron before calling the police and fire brigade.
Jane, who lives with Ron, her son Owen, 11, and daughter Emily, 14 in Coppice Mead, said she was alarmed when she heard the strange noise coming from downstairs.
She said: "I looked out of the window after waking at around 4.20am to what sounded like a waterfall, and I couldn't see the garden properly – it had turned into a lake.
"We called the emergency services and ran downstairs, and before we knew it water was rising up through the floorboards.
"Pix Brook runs behind the garden and we could see that it had overflowed and water was going everywhere.
"We tried to unplug all of the appliances downstairs and grab all of our possessions, but before we knew it the water was a foot high and there were shoes and bits of firewood drifting through the house and into the road outside."
Firefighters arrived quickly but Ron and Jane, who only moved into the cottage six months ago, were told that they would have to wait before the water was drained.
Ron said: "The first fireman here said they couldn't really do anything at first as the brook was overflowing so there was nowhere for the water to go.
"Luckily it wasn't long before the blockage was removed so they could start pumping the water out."
John Oldfield, an engineer from the Bedford Group of Drainage Boards, which maintains Pix Brook, said the flooding had occurred after two pipes became clogged up.
He said: "We were called out to the area along with Bedfordshire Police, Central Bedfordshire Council and the fire service at around 5.30am.
"The pipes that run under the road at the bridge had become blocked with debris which had been swept in by recent rainwater and strong winds, and heavy rainfall overnight had caused the brook to top its banks.
"We managed to unblock one of the pipes fairly quickly, and are working on the other one, which has become blocked with a tree branch but this should not take long to remove."
A spokesman for Central Bedfordshire Council confirmed that officers had visited the area to speak to residents and that Coppice Mead was closed temporarily while the water was drained.
Firefighters and council officers were also called to Stotfold Road in Arlesey just before 7.30am, where flood water was very close to entering three properties.
Sandbags were used to help protect the homes.
For the full story see the Biggleswade Chronicle of Friday, August 27.
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Weather for Biggleswade
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 7 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
