ONE of the main roads in Theydon Bois has been hit by flooding.

Surface water first began to appear on Abridge Road during the downpour at the weekend, but residents say the problem has been made worse by a drain which has remained blocked for over a year - despite repeated complaints to the county council.

Worried households now fear a repeat of a series of accidents in January and February of this year, when several cars crashed after flood water on the road froze.

Essex County Council has denied that any drains were blocked in the area, but resident Owen Rowland said they were trying to avoid blame.

He said: "If you lift the manhole cover up outside my home it's full of water, but a few feet down the road if you do the same it's empty - and they're part of the same system.

He said: "I'm very dissatisfied. I first reported it in October last year but they haven't fixed it.

"There's a vast amount of water flowing all the way across the road, it's like a swimming pool.

"As soon as we have a freeze there's going to be an accident.

"We keep on reporting the drain to the council but I don't think they're taking it seriously."

Mr Rowland said council contractors had been seen working at the site but had failed to stop the drain from overflowing in heavy rain.

He added: "After one of the last accidents a policeman even told me that they had asked the council to fix the drain because it was causing problems, but it still keeps flooding.

“The neglect of the council could cause more accidents, we're all very concerned what will happen if this drain isn't fixed soon.”

A spokeswoman for the authority said: "Essex County Council are aware of the flooding problem on Abridge Road, Theydon Bois.

"Flooding occurs because the road is situated in a low point and water from the neighbouring fields flows down and is collected here.

"The high levels of rainfall experienced over the past few days means that the water is taking longer to pass through and this makes it extremely difficult to maintain.

"Essex County Council takes the safety of everyone travelling on the county’s roads seriously and encourages anyone with concerns to contact our Highways department”.

Have you been affected by flooding in the district? Contact reporter Daniel Binns on 0779 547 6625 or via email at dbinns@london.newsquest.co.uk