FEARS of flooding are rife for one Cirencester resident still reeling from the floods last year.

Alan Armstrong, from North Home Road, Beeches, contacted the Standard worried he was mere hours from having his living room flooded for the second time in less than a year.

The flooding started on Friday, with levels getting higher over the weekend to the extent that Mr Armstrong had to dig a trench out of his sloping front garden to relieve some of the pressure.

This week he was forced to take time off work to keep water levels at bay and he said the fear of flooding is leaving he and his wife, Louise, unable to sleep.

He said he was frustrated that neither CDC or Thames Water would accept responsibility.

He told the Standard: "Someone has to be accountable for it. Why should I have to pay £3,000 or £4,000 to get this sorted out?"

"No-one seems to admit responsibility. If they give me a grant I'll do it myself," Mr Armstrong added.

Last year's floods resulted in £15,000 worth of damage to his property, which he is still in debt for and he says his insurance company has now threatened to not pay out in full should his property flood again.

Mr Armstrong, 42, who works as a forklift truck driver at Rapid Racking, Kemble, said: "Our credit is brilliant but because we flooded no other company will insure us."

He commented: "We can't go anywhere. The minute it rains we have to come back. We can't even sell the property. Who's going to want to move into a property that's flooded?"

He says other houses in his neighbourhood are also at risk.

Due to the Standard's intervention Peter Braidwood, CDC Councillor for Beeches Ward, visited the property to get see what needed to be done, he said: "We have to find out who's responsible and fix it. If it's CDC we'll sort it out. And if it's the Environment Agency I'll harass them about it."

Nicola Savage, spokesman for Thames Water, said they would investigate the matter further.

Mr Armstrong resorted to using a bucket to shift the rising water levels after his pump began to stopped working, Cllr Braidwood offered to go out and helpI.

In spite of today's sunny weather giving Mr Armstrong some brief respite, more rain is forecast for later in the week.