Homes flooded and property destroyed after 'biblical' rains hit Bethersden near Ashford
15:25, 26 July 2021
updated: 16:09, 26 July 2021
Water has swept through the ground floors of village homes after torrential rain caused flash flooding.
Images captured by drone show houses in Bethersden inundated by the rising waters caused by the "biblical" downpours which hit the village yesterday afternoon.
Flooding inside a home in Bethersden
The worst-affected properties on the A28 Ashford Road saw the flooding devastate ground floor rooms and possessions, while other homes saw gardens turned into lakes by the sudden deluge.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) sent fire crews to the village - which was last hit by floods following Storm Bella in December - to help with pumping away the excess water, a process that went on from around 4pm on Sunday until around 7am today.
Cinematographer Simon Bates, who lives in Chester Avenue, captured the scene using his drone and described a sense of shock and anger following the latest flooding in the village.
The 30-year-old said: "It's been a long night for a lot of people; the village was literally cut off due to the worst flooding it has ever seen.
"We have got an outside room with fridges and stuff, and that's gone. We have got a lot of damage.
Drone footage shows the flooding in the village
"It did not go in the house, but about 10 others have been flooded. Everything is ruined.
"In the last two or three months they have put in new drainage, this was the first test and it got annihilated. But I don't think it's the council's fault, nothing could have coped with that, it was biblical rain.
"Nothing could have coped, it was just a flash flood."
A fire service spokesman confirmed crews were called to a number of reports of flooding in the village, including the largest incident on Ashford Road.
"Kent Fire and Rescue Service was called to reports of flooding affecting a number of properties on Ashford Road in Bethersden at around 3.08pm," they said.
"Residents were advised to isolate electrics and crews worked with a local housing association to pump water away from the properties. Six fire engines were sent to various properties throughout the incident."
