Leicestershire families unable to return home after Storm Henk

Families who were forced to move from their heavily flooded homes during Storm Henk have yet to return, four months on.

People in Leicestershire are still suffering the effects of the storm, which caused widespread flooding in the county in January.

Shobhna Kara, 73, is still couch surfing after her home in Leicester was flooded with one meter (3.2 ft) of water.

Her son Simel said the flood was an “apocalyptic scenario”.

Mrs Kara, who lost her husband two weeks after Storm Henk, is still unable to move back into her home in Rushey Mead, which has been stripped of plaster and flooring.

The family have insurance but say they are still tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket after the flood.

Mr Kara said the condition of his mother’s house, which backs onto Melton Brook, was “like a horror film”.

“Everything under one meter (3.2 ft) was completely lost throughout the ground floor of the property.

“Children’s toys, sentimental items, all the furniture, everything was really damaged.

“Everything we have lovingly gathered together over the past nearly 50 years is completely lost.”

In Loughborough, Alison Hartshorn, 63, and her husband Andrew, 67, have been living in and out of different hotels for the past four months.

Their house has been decommissioned, but they don’t know when they can start work on the property because the dehumidifiers are still working to remove the moisture.

Mrs Hartshorn said: “The hotels were covered by the insurance but the food was not or the journey back and forth.

“It left a big hole in any savings we had – it was wiped out.”

Her son Ryan said he was told the property might not be ready for work until after Christmas.

“It’s just disbelief,” he said.

Both families are asking for assurances that their homes will not flood again.

An Environment Agency spokesman said the body knows how “devastating” flooding can be.

“During Storm Henk, we saw the highest river levels ever recorded at all our gauges on the River Soar and many of its tributaries, including Melton Brook,” they said. is being refined to ensure enough time is given to act “Since Storm Henk, we have been clearing vegetation and removing blockages reported by residents.”