A WOMAN whose home was deluged with raw sewage is claiming it was due to recent flood defence work.

Angela Whitlock, from River View Road, Ripon , said the £14.4m flood defences completed by the Environment Agency in Ripon, last year, were to blame.

Her home’s septic tank had been relocated by the agency because it was in the path of the flood defences. But on Tuesday, rain water flooded the tank and then flowed into her home.

“We’ve been pumping out sewerage from the cellar for 24 hours now,” Mrs Whitlock said.

“The smell was appalling as the sewerage ran out of the drive and into the rear of the house, collecting at the rear door and eventually flooding the cellar. We had to act quickly to try to pump this sewerage out, but eventually the sump pump became overwhelmed and approximately a foot of contaminated water filled the entire cellar floor.

“We had concerns about where they had relocated the tank, but they reassured us it was in the best place.”

Earlier this year, Mrs Whitlock bought three alpacas after the Environment Agency said it could not help with maintenance of her lawn following the installation of the 8ft-high defences.

The defences held back water from the River Ure, protecting about 500 other homes in the city from flooding.

But not everyone escaped.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said it was aware some homes in Ripon had flooded, saying: “We know the distress that flooding causes and understand residents’ disappointment that they have been affected again.

“We have had staff on site both on Tuesday afternoon and yesterday to assess and gather evidence to understand what might have occurred.

Once this flood incident is passed, we will investigate the matter thoroughly.”

Elsewhere in North Yorkshire, residents struggled to deal with the aftermath of the floods as problems moved downstream to the south of the county. Throughout the day, 21 roads and traffic bridges were closed in the Hambleton and Richmondshire districts of North Yorkshire, leaving many villages cut off. Many more were passable only with care.

Thousands of pupils in the county stayed at home as 22 schools and children’s centres were closed, mostly in the Hambleton and Richmondshire areas.

About 20 properties in Dalton, near Thirsk , were also flooded.

The River Ouse, in York was due to peak just below critical during the early hours of this morning.

Yesterday, the river level rose so high that road signs on streets next to the Rive Ouse were almost under water.