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Flood victim hopes to return home for Christmas
By Jeremy Small  1/11/2007
 
Sarah Jayne and Andrew Bielby in their flood damaged house in Rufforth
Sarah Jayne and Andrew Bielby in their flood damaged house in Rufforth

A COUPLE who have been living in bed-and- breakfast accommodation since their York home flooded in the summer said today they were overjoyed as the prospect of being home in time for Christmas.

Andrew and Sarah Jayne Bielby, of Wetherby Road, Rufforth, evacuated their house when the flood waters topped the skirting boards downstairs, following torrential rains.

Mr Bielby, 51, said they moved into the B&B in Rufforth because, with no furniture downstairs, their house was "unliveable and a mess".

The HGV driver said that, since they moved out, builders had been restoring their house to its former condition by putting in new skirting boards, doors and door frames, as well as making other repairs. He put the estimated cost of the damage at tens of thousands of pounds.

The ordeal was a double blow for the Bielbys, whose Rufforth home was also hit by flooding a few years ago, when sewage came up into their downstairs' shower.

But Mr Bielby said he was "very grateful" to Yorkshire Water, which he said had been installing a pumping station in his garden in a bid to ensure the house was never flooded by sewage again.

He described the couple's ordeal as "very stressful".

He said: "We're overjoyed at the prospect of being able to go back in to the house - the sooner the better".

FLASHBACK: Andrew Bielby in his flood hit home in Wetherby Road, Rufforth
FLASHBACK: Andrew Bielby in his flood hit home in Wetherby Road, Rufforth

"It'll be great to be home in time for Christmas too. My wife's got MS, and we've had that much to cope with, it's taken her back a bit as well.

"It's been a strange experience, living in a B&B. It's a fantastic B&B, but it's not our own home - we can't relax the same. The amount of people who've asked us how we've coped and are still smiling - they said it would have destroyed a lot of people."

Now Mr Bielby is calling for reassurance that there will be no flooding as a result of the village's drains being unable to cope with surface run-off from torrential rain.

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "The council has been leading an investigation into drainage problems in Rufforth for a number of months, liaising with Yorkshire Water. We have carried out various cleaning activities on the drainage system. However, we are still awaiting clarification from Yorkshire Water over a drain which we believe is their responsibility."