AS we’ve experienced one of the wettest Mays on record, the Echo looks at a video of when flooding devastated a coastal town in Dorset but the tenacity and sheer doggedness of the people shone through.

In February 1990, flooding hit most of the UK as storms uprooted trees, tidal waves battered the coast and many rivers burst their banks.

At the time, Swanage was susceptible to flooding during periods of intense rainfall and water levels rose to more than eight feet in Victoria Avenue after the Swan Brook overflowed.

A video on YouTube offers a small look into the destruction caused by the flooding in Swanage and the impact it had on those affected.

Alan Doel, the uploader of the video wrote: “The film begins looking at the railway from the bridge in Victoria Avenue, then at the adjacent business park, Prospect Farm and the putting greens opposite, then travelling along Victoria Avenue into town (towards the sea).

“We then move to Kings Road West, near the Post Office and Conservative Club, moving away from the centre of town along Kings Road West to the church, going up and down Court Road by the railway yard, before rejoining Kings Road West.

“Then a number of pans and views of Kings Road East, Eldon Terrace and individual houses there, many of which suffered floodwater 5-7' in height.”

Bournemouth Echo:

The town’s residents showed their spirit and resolve, bounced back, and a flood alleviation scheme was put into place.

There was some flooding in the Kings Road and Eldons Terrace area in September 2002, but it was as a result of torrential rain causing drains to overflow and not the Swan Brook bursting its banks as in 1990.