HOUSING developments in Hartlepool should be put on hold until the severe problems caused by flooding in the town have been dealt with, according to residents.

Members of the public spoke out at a meeting and urged Hartlepool Borough Council to postpone the building of any more homes until an adequate drainage system was in place.

But a spokesman for the authority said the decision was out of its hands because the local plan, a blueprint for the town's development over the next decade, would be overseen by the Government's Planning Inspectorate.

Residents spoke out on Thursday at a public meeting, held because the situation was so bad people have suffered sewage in their homes and seen extensive damage to their properties.

A council spokesman said: "We are getting severe problems in parts of the town where there are 3ft of water and cars are being partly submerged.

"People are getting sewage coming into their homes and we recognise that this is unacceptable.

"There are parts of the town where we are having repeat problems year after year, and we are determined to bring it to an end."

The council recently launched an effort to clear blocked drains and gullies to alleviate the risk of flooding in problem areas such as Honiton Way, the West End, South Side, in Seaton Carew, Valley Drive, Greatham Village and Stranton Cemetery.

Problems in the West End of the town were exacerbated by the fact that many people had no house insurance and suffered extreme hardship after flooding.

The authority criticised Northumbrian Water at the meeting, which was organised by the Environmental Stewardship and Regeneration Scrutiny Forum.

The council-backed forum said that because instances of flooding had increased in recent years, the water authority had to improve communication with the council and its customers.

It also urged the company to improve its sewage system and release more information to the public about what they could do in case of flooding.

A spokeswoman for Northumbrian Water said remedial work has already been carried out and further work was planned.

She added that company representatives had attended every public meeting in Hartlepool that the company was informed of and that all calls and letters were responded to.