A GROUP of disabled and elderly people say they live with the constant fear their flats will be flooded.

Their homes, which lie next to a brook and in a dip, frequently let in water when it rains heavily and they have twice found themselves knee-deep in the last 18 months.

The residents, which include a great-grandmother and five grandparents, say they have had to replace carpets and furniture more than once since Worcester was hit by the flash floods of April last year.

Built less than three years ago, their block of flats, in Fallow Field, off Plantation Drive, was one of the most recent major developments in Warndon Villages.

Now, with huge cracks appearing in their gardens, footpath slabs subsiding and constant damp in their living rooms, they are pleading with their housing association to help them. At the very least they want sandbags.

Steve Shepherd, who is on his third carpet in two years, said: "Whenever it rains heavily, the water flows down the street and settles at the bottom, surrounding our building like a moat.

"It has a considerable effect both financially and emotionally, particularly as most of us have some kind of disability."

Neighbour Jenny Taylor added: "I can't get insurance now. It appears the drains just aren't adequate. The water lies stagnant in the brook and then gushes in our front door."

Sue Hartley said: "Our flats haven't really dried out since the first flood.

"When it starts to rain, I start getting very frightened."

Liz Staveley, the director of Nexus Housing, based in Southfield Street, Worcester, said she was working hard to find the cause of the problems.

She admitted: "We realise this is not a nice situation for them. The drainage was passed by the local authority when the flats were built.

"We have just received the results of a survey into the drains and cannot find any problem so we are sincerely trying to find the exact

cause to stop this flooding."

The Environment Agency, which advises councils on whether developments could be at risk from flooding, said it was aware of problems in Warndon Villages.

It urged elderly people and those receiving medical treatment to have contingency plans in case of flooding.