DEVASTATING flooding may have ruined homes and businesses, but communities have pulled together to help out friends and neighbours as people come to terms with losing everything.

Storm Dennis has left a trail of destruction behind it, but on Tuesday morning Eardisland, near Leominster, was a hive of activity as villagers got together to help flood-affected neighbours.

A group, dubbed the E-Team, are more used to looking after flowers in the village, but they rolled up their sleeves to help rip up carpets and move flood-damaged furniture.

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Chris Bivand was on holiday in Tenerife with his wife when the river Arrow burst its banks on Sunday, and were helpless.

Hereford Times:

Chris Bivand and his wife Dr Ruth Brinton-Bidand came back off holiday to a flooded house

But in the days since have been helped by the team of volunteers, as has Nicky Edwards, who manages a riverside holiday let.

It is thought more than 300 tonnes of water has been pumped from the property.

Hereford Times:

Manor House holiday let in Eardisland was pumped free of water

She said: “The dining room was the deepest because it’s the lowest; that would have been two feet in there. It’s just horrendous, absolutely horrendous.

“They warned us and said there might be a bit of flooding, but not on this scale.

“The villagers have been fabulous; six of them have been in. They stripped the lounges of carpet and underlay, and the dining room carpet, which was floating.”

In Hereford, people in Hinton Road woke in the middle of the night to find the ground floors of their home under several inches of water, which kept rising until it was more than four feet deep.

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Hinton Road on Sunday morning. Picture: Andrew Wigmore

One woman, who lives with her two primary schoolchildren, said she has lost everything from a tablet with baby photos to her car.

“It was like an apocalypse looking out the window as there were lights, emergency services and shouting,” Jenny Baldwin said.

“I just could not compute that you could swim in my house.”

Miss Baldwin was rescued from her property with her pet rabbits and was left on dry land in wet pyjamas, but she said thankfully her children were spending the night with their grandparents.

But she is disappointed with the little support from officials.

“What shocked me is the support is not in place. I’ve spent today (Tuesday) trying to find funding, and there is none,” she said.

“I started the day with some level of pride and not begging, but I’m begging by the end of the day.

“I don’t blame anyone because everyone is out of their depth and this hasn’t happened before.”

One street which was badly hit in October’s flooding was Greyfriars Avenue, but this time around just one house escaped.

Flood warden Colin Taylor, a former Hereford United physiotherapist, helped evacuate stranded residents.

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Residents were rescued from Greyfriars Avenue. Picture: Alan Hall

Since October, he has brought neighbours together so they are prepared if flooding was to happened again.

“As an avenue it was absolutely brilliant, everyone performed really well and were helpful, we did our bit. It’s up to the council to come and help us now.

“We need skips because everyone is throwing out furniture and carpets. We haven’t seen anyone from the council which is slightly disappointing because Dianne (Toynbee, ward councillor) was quite keen, maybe she was here, I didn’t see.

“It’s the worst its ever been, it’s the worst flood on record.

“Give them their dues they’ve got other things on, but it would be nice if we could have some sort of help down here.”

Hereford Times:

Residents of Greyfriars Avenue, Hereford, got together after October’s floods to help and support each other should something similar happen again. Picture: Rob Davies