Furious residents on a flood-prone road fear they could be forced out of their homes unless the council helps to bolster their protection.
Heavy rains have repeatedly battered the Herne Bay cul-de-sac, regularly flooding the street during bouts of intense weather across the county.
Recently, houses across the east of Kent saw rivers of water flowing along streets, with the deluge forcing some people out of their homes.
Now, neighbours in Nurserylands off Eddington Lane are calling for urgent improvements to the area’s drainage system.
Mechanic Ray Lucas told KentOnline: “We’re asking the authorities to get involved before our houses get flooded, damaged, and our insurance goes through the roof.
“It’s been reported to Kent County Council (KCC), not just this time but previously, and nothing seems to get done.
“Every now and again, they will send a lorry and suck the end drain out.
“That’s not good enough – and I don’t think they care.
“The toilets and sink traps were bubbling, and I’ve not known that to happen here before – it’s grim.
“And if the brook floods, you are sitting ducks – we are in big trouble then.”
With gullies and drains reportedly backing up, and reports of manhole covers bursting open under pressure, neighbours say the water has nowhere to go.
So intense are the downpours, Mr Lucas says, that an abundance of surface water has been forced to drain into the nearby stream.
And he fears the waterway is rising, adding to existing problems over the past two months.
Furthermore, Mr Lucas is concerned that sewage could rise onto the road. However, Southern Water firmly states there is “no evidence” of any effluent leaking into the environment.
During the latest spell of flooding, pictures show floodwater breaching people’s gardens – just feet away from their front doors.
In one image, a child can be seen ankle-deep in the pool, while the nearby brook, which runs alongside Nurserylands, towards the train tracks, has a high water level.
Some believe the 30-year-old estate’s infrastructure could be suffering at the hands of recent nearby developments.
With Strode Farm’s 800 homes and the 568-strong estate on the former Herne Bay golf course, residents say they are concerned house-building has put extra strain on the area.
“The authorities need to come and clean every single manhole in this estate now, and also they need to start addressing why it can’t get away at the end of the road,” said Mr Lucas.
“We’d either need a pumping station or some sort of resolution to why this is happening.
“This all seems to have started happening when it’s really heavy rainfall, since all the new houses have been built.
“Developers are building willy-nilly and not thinking about us.
“Something’s not working, something isn’t big enough, and it is just getting worse”.
A Southern Water spokesperson said: “The flooding at Nurserylands, Herne Bay, was reported to us, but on investigation there was no evidence of foul water leaving our network and entering the environment.
“We are currently working through our investigations in the catchment area.
“There is currently a suggestion that flooding may have been the inability of highway gullies to accept more flow from the large amounts of overland surface water flooding.”
A KCC spokesperson added: “We understand the concerns of Nurserylands residents following the severe flooding on 21 July, which was caused by intense thunderstorms affecting much of the area.
“Responsibility for the main sewerage system, including manhole covers and surface water sewers, lies with Southern Water.
“We are working with them to investigate the source of the flooding and assess whether the system is being overwhelmed during heavy rainfall.
“Our drainage engineers are currently inspecting the area to identify any faults or blockages within the KCC drainage system, which connects to the Southern Water system.
“Highway drains in Nurserylands were last cleaned in February 2025 as part of our scheduled three-year cycle.
“We have received very few reports of issues at this location previously, so the council is not aware of any persistent or ongoing problems.
“We are committed to exploring long-term solutions to reduce flood risk (and) encourage residents to report any future flooding incidents to help us respond effectively.”
