People living in low-lying bungalows alongside the River Glen had hung on to the last moment hoping that flood warnings of the day before would not be borne out by events.

But they woke yesterday to see rising waters swollen by snow melt and heavy rain overflow the banks then come rushing into their homes.

Pensioner Joseph Furniaux broke down as he stood knee-deep in his garden at 31 The Reservoir in waders borrowed from a neighbour.

He said: "The water just came in. I've left my wife Kathleen with the neighbours and it's hard to believe what's happened.

"You live near the river and you have to expect it, but it's hard.

"Kathleen and I retired here from Romford seven years ago and this hasn't happened to us before."

Most bungalows on Joseph's side of the river were built as holiday cottages and are known to be vulnerable – but last time they flooded was in 2002, before most of today's residents had moved in.

Tracey Laker's family has lived at number 6 on the opposite bank for four years.

She said: "We had two phone warnings from Flood Watch yesterday. The one at 5pm told us to be prepared to evacuate our homes. We've put everything we can at a high level though the flood has stopped in the garden.

"Even though you're prepared for it – we knew there was a danger when we moved near the river – it's still scary.

"My son Sean, who's 15, had put everything he owns up on his high bed or his computer desk before he went off to school.

Surfleet Reservoir's lock keeper Richard Creasey said: "We opened the sluice gates wide on Tuesday morning and kept them wide to run it off. The water's high mostly from snow melt and the heavy rain combined with a high spring tide."

He warned that the tide last night was expected to be even higher.