Flooding in Flintshire: How residents are rallying together to help each other in aftermath

Numerous problems happened across the county as a result of several days of persistent, heavy rain over the last week.

A number of roads have been closed, bin collections have been delayed, school and public transport has been disrupted and several homes have been flooded.

From left: Liz Horgan, Alberto Contento and Veronica Contento in front of the River Alyn in Mold

The Leader visited Mold yesterday where the River Alyn was considerably higher than normal and surrounding fields had been flooded.

Residents Alberto and Veronica Contento said they are very happy that defences installed since the town’s flooding issues in 2000 are working.

Mr Contento, who lives near the river in King Street, said: “What they did was open the river up and made a bank and it does help a lot.”

Public footpath 93, inaccessible due to flood water

Describing the previous 24 hours, his wife Veronica said: “It has been quite scary - it would not have taken too much more for it to overflow.”

Liz Horgan, also of King Street, spoke of her experiences of the 2000 floods.

She explained: “It was horrible. It all happened so quickly and nobody knew what to do.

“When I looked out and saw a lifeboat coming down the street, I knew we were in trouble.

“When it happened, I’ve never seen so much community spirit.

Photos provided by Craig Smith show the extent of flooding in Sandycroft

“Everyone was out, helping each other and giving out sandbags.

“One of the strangest things was that it knocked the gas off in my house - and a man came in a boat to fit a new one.”

In the Sandycroft and Pentre areas, several homes were damaged by water.

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Bill Davies, of Hamilton Avenue, in Sandycroft, told the Leader: “There was a foot of water in the street and the locals closed the road off - then the council closed it.

“One of my neighbours, Daniel Lloyd, was going around handing out sandbags to everyone - he’s a top man.

“It he hadn’t, I think water would have gotten into more houses.”

Mike Turton, owner at Flintshire Tyre and Auto Repair, shows the extent of the car park flooding

Mike Turton, owner of Flintshire Tyre and Auto Care in Sandycroft, said the workshop and front office of his business had been unaffected - but a back workshop had been flooded and his car park remained underwater.

He said the damage wasn’t substantial at his business, but it had been worse at his home in Lawrence Drive - which he said had sustained “extensive damage”.

Down the road in Church View, located between Sandycroft and Pentre, resident Steve Milner was out with his own pumping equipment removing the excess water.

But despite his efforts - and those of neighbours - the majority of homes on one side of Church Walks had been damaged by the floods, he said.

Bill Davies, of Hamilton Avenue

Mr Milner explained: “The effect has been huge and it’s a health issue too, because it’s a mixture of rainwater and sewage.

“These houses would have had about eight inches of water inside and there was about 10 inches in the street.

“It’s taken us about 48 hours to get to this point and we’re just keeping an eye on it now and hoping it doesn’t happen again.”

One person who has experienced regular flooding problems over the years is 93-year-old Betty Flavell from Bretton Lane, near Broughton.

She said: “It was flooded terribly around Lower Bretton. It was very bad this morning (Wednesday).

Water pumping continues at Church View

“I woke up at 3.15am and didn’t go back to bed. I have never seen it come down as bad as it did. It was massive, even though my pump was working.

“We are in for more rain again which is unusual weather, especially at this time of year.”

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service sent one appliance to Bretton at about 7pm on Wednesday.

Mrs Flavell added: “There’s something seriously wrong with our drainage system. The drainage isn’t sufficient for this area.”

“Other houses down the lane have had problems as well now and I’m sorry in my heart for them.”

Motorists elsewhere in the county have also been experiencing difficulties.

Four people were rescued from a car trapped in flood water near Cae’r Odyn Woods, in Cilcain at around 6.20pm on Wednesday.

Those involved managed to escape the vehicle through the roof with help from fire crews from Mold and Deeside and checked by paramedics at the scene.

No serious injuries were recorded, a spokesman for the Welsh Ambulance Service said.

A number of roads across Flintshire also remained closed yesterday - including Cilcain to Loggerheads, Old Bagillt Road in Holywell, Victoria Road in Saltney due to a burst water main, Raikes Lane in Hawarden, Padeswood Lake Road and the A5104 Treuddyn (at the junction of the Sun Spot Café).

For up-to-date flood information, visit https://naturalresources.wales

Traffic Wales continued to advise motorists to drive to the conditions of the road and keep their distance.