A RESIDENT says something needs to be done to stop her garden flooding every time heavy rain clouds hover over Bournemouth.

Annie Christopher says the section of her road in Leybourne Avenue has been routinely flooded twice a year for decades.

Over the last year Wessex Water has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds removing rubble from drains and unblocking sewers in a bid to alleviate flooding problems But when flash flooding hit Bournemouth on Thursday, Annie found herself trapped on her summerhouse as flood water swamped her garden yet again.

She said: “I panic every time I hear the weather forecast. It would be good having lived her for 14 years to actually feel safe.”

Annie said she has previously met with council officials who said they would consider creating an L-shaped bank on the fields behind her property to prevent surface flooding.

“The important thing for us is the council finds the money to create this L shaped bank on the field,” she said.

“It was felt the bank, in conjunction with Wessex Water cleaning and repairing the sewers and pumping station here, would prevent further flooding.

“Obviously the underground streams are another matter.”

Paul Ambrose, principal engineer with Bournemouth council, said in a statement: “We are aware of the problems at Leybourne Avenue.

“We are working with Wessex Water to look at a number of solutions and an embankment is one possible option that we are evaluating.”