I have reported on many floods during my career, but I never truly realised the upset and devastation they can cause until it happened to me.

It had been a normal day at work but at about 3.30pm I got a call from my partner urging me to come home.

The roads surrounding my house were flooded and the waters were rising rapidly, making their way to our home.

I drove home at a snail's pace conscious of the surface water but nothing could prepare me for what I would see when I reached my village.

Newnham Bridge, near Tenbury, was under water. In more than 10 years living here I have never seen anything like it.

Cars were turning around trying to find another way home but for me there was no other way except through the flood water.

I left my car on higher ground and set off on foot. By the time I reached the water, my partner was waiting with a pair of wellies. We waded through, with the water at times up to my waist. Eventually, wet and cold, we reached home.

Our garden was like a swimming pool. The water just gushed over the plants and garden furniture but at that time it still had not reached the house.

It was only a matter of time. The anxiety of knowing there was nothing you could do was awful. With as much furniture moved upstairs as we could manage and the doors sealed shut, we just waited.

It was a spectacle for many who watched in amazement as lorries tried to make their way through the flood, tractors ferried stranded people to and fro and fire engines attempted to get to other areas.

But for us it was a nightmare. We had to climb in and out of the kitchen window as we dare not open the doors and piled sand and dirt bags as a makeshift dam.

Eventually, despite our best efforts, the water got in. It seeped through every crevice, covering the entire ground flood. We had lost the battle.

It was then a literally sleepless night hoping and praying the damage would be minimal. Aaround midnight the river Teme broke its banks and the water in our house and gardens subsided. Not so fortunate for those poor souls in Tenbury Wells.

The clean-up operation began as the sun came up. The carpets and floor tiles were ruined, but I guess it could have been worse.

The last time Newnham Bridge was flooded was around 50 to 60 years ago. Let's hope we do not see this freak weather for another five or six decades. My thanks go out to all the villagers who rallied around to help us.