HOMEOWNERS were left devastated once again after their houses were ruined by a sewage leak in Southcote last Sunday.

Families living on Circuit Lane and Sylvan Walk are still dealing with the aftermath of the damage, which was caused by a power failure at Circuit Lane pumping station.

Michelle Wade-Green lives on the corner of Sylvan Walk and she says her home has been 'totally destroyed' by repeat flooding.

"This happened three years ago and apparently before we moved into the house in 2007," Michelle said.

"We were told that the power station had lost power at 3am on Sunday morning, which caused all of the waste to back up. Within three hours the levels outside were rising and the water finally breached the property and all of downstairs was totally destroyed.

"The last time it took eight months for us to return to normal. Thames Water will be covering the cost of the damage. The last time this happened, the building work alone was worth £20,000."

The flooding occurred almost three years to the day of the last time the Southcote house was ruined in identical fashion.

On that occasion, the mother-of-three and her husband were forced to live in a caravan in her garden for six months while repairs were carried out.

She is furious this has been allowed to happen again and is urging Thames Water to put measures in place to prevent further damage.

She added: "We have considered moving house, but we have got no chance of selling it.

"I have said to Thames Water we need to do something to protect our house and prevent something like this happening again.

"I want them to secure the drains outside the house. They also need to seal the walls so the water can't get in."

A spokesperson for Thames Water said: "We’re sorry for the disruption this has caused but we’ve now managed to restore power and minimise the impact. Our priority now is to help our customers.

"Our team is speaking to homeowners who’ve been affected by this to ensure any damage is put right as quickly as possible."