EMOTIONS ran high tonight at a briefing meeting about the flooding in Buckskin.

More than 40 residents turned up to the Ridgeway Community Centre, in Blackdown Close, to hear the latest from Tony Curtis, the chief executive at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

Mr Curtis told them: “The situation is awful for you. The council will be with you however long it lasts.

“You will be supported on site and through the council offices. We will do everything we can to manage the situation. The only thing we cannot do is stop the force of nature. That’s impossible.”

He explained that it was impossible to predict groundwater flooding, which was different he said from flooding from rivers.

He also said the borough council were aware of the flooding on Saturday, and over the course of the weekend tried to contact Thames Water, which maintains the sewers in Buckskin.

But Mr Curtis said the water company claimed it had no responsibility for the flooding, so the borough council brought in tankers to suck up the floodwater on Monday.

While some of the residents praised the council’s response, others were more critical.

Kirsty Campbell, of Sperrin Close, said she was frustrated with the level of response when her house began to flood on Saturday morning.

She said: “The fire brigade were the only ones to respond. The police said it was not their responsibility. The council did not do anything then. I was not even told about this meeting. It’s disgusting.”

Mr Curtis said the council started their emergency procedure on Saturday, mobilising staff to respond over the weekend.

Others complained that flooding is a regular problem in the area around Grampian Way, which can cause mould and structural defects in houses. Some speculated that it the flooding was caused by the River Loddon culvert that runs underneath roads like Sperrin Close and Antrim Close.

Mr Curtis promised a review about drainage when the flooding had cleared.

Luke Bingham, regional director at Sovereign Housing Association, added that tenants who had to leave their homes would be offered more permanent accommodation than hotels and B&Bs.