HEAVY rain left a man’s home flooded.

John Battie’s council home in Cowper Road, Tilbury, was hit hard as storms battered the borough.

But by the time the council had delivered sandbags, a huge puddle had formed outside his house and begun seeping in under the door, ruining his wooden floor.

Mr Battie, 68, and his wife Juliet have even bought wellies - just to get in and out of the house.

He wants a pump to get the water out of his front garden and prevent more damage being done to his beloved home of 40 years.

The former welder said: “I told the council we would have problems but they didn’t act. By the time they brought sandbags, it was too late.

“I was reporting problems a week before Christmas. Since then I’ve been asking for a pump so I can clear the water but they say they can’t and won’t supply it. It’s all about money and I’m sure there are people far worse affected than me.”

A council spokesman said: “The council does not carry such a pump in its stock.

“However, the pump would not have prevented flooding, it would simply have pumped flood water out. The tenant was informed of this.”