A MONTH after floods devastated the village of Skinningrove residents are coming to terms with the trauma.

It took just minutes for the floods to destroy homes as rivers of mud and sewerage swept through the village. There were no warnings and residents were forced to evacuate without any time to gather their belongings.

Now shock and upset is turning to anger. Residents had been campaigning to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council for years to get the beck cleaned, warning the village would be flooded.

Their fears were realised on the morning of July 2 when the beck blocked and burst its banks.

Life in the close-knit community is starting return to normal and there is a point in sight when residents will be able to move back into their homes.

Jean Purver surveyed the devastation in her home last month with sadness and disbelief. She and her neighbours are now on an emotional rollercoaster.

Her house has been cleared of the mud and builders are working hard for her to move back home in about six weeks time. She is busy choosing new furniture but says it is the personal mementoes and photographs that she cannot replace.

"I have to get everything again - I still can't believe any of it happened," she said.

Stephanie Asplin-Wakefield, the village's parish councillor, said: "This is going to stay with them for ever. People are very frightened that it is going to happen again. We all have nightmares every time it rains.

"It has brought this close-knit community even closer."

Andy Hyams, deputy director of Redcar and Cleveland's Technical Services, said the council was expecting a report by a specialist hydrologist later this month. But it has already highlighted that three inches of rain falling in just a few hours would overwhelm any flood defence system.