‘There seems to be no stopping it’: Tewkesbury faces more flooding 

• Watch Ken Goodwin's report here

Tewkesbury has been hit with flooding despite pumps and gates previously being enough to keep water out of houses. 

Back in 2007 Tewkesbury saw the most damaging floods in decades. Thirteen people lost their lives and hundreds were stranded. Nearly 50,000 homes were affected and it cost local councils £140 million. 

Now 14 years on, the town has been faced with more flooding. 

Some roads in the town were left submerged on Wednesday 3 January. And on Thursday 4 January, water levels on the River Severn and Avon have continued to rise causing more chaos. 

Jeff Clarke is by his own admission a flood veteran. For the first time since the catastrophic floods of 2007, water has got into his house.

Jeff said: “The 2007 floods were much worse because they were so rapid, but this lot has crept up on us and it seems to be no stopping it. 

“You know the Environment Agency was saying for a couple or three days now water was falling at the Mythe Bridge and when I go out in the garden and measure it, it’s still rising now.”

Residents have their own flood defences including pumps and gates. They said this was keeping out water, but then 4x4 cars driving through and creating waves has forced the water in. 

Nikki Veal said: “A 4x4 came through at about 20 miles an hour, created a massive bow wave and it knocked all our flood defences down and completely flooded our houses. 

“People having fun in these 4x4 because it’s flooding and it’s fun but we’re keeping water out of our houses, what they don’t realise is that the bow wave moves all the sandbags and knocks all the sandbags down."

The Environment Agency has issued 12 flood warnings along the River Severn where water levels are expected to rise further, following several days of heavy rainfall.

It comes as the Met Office has also issued a yellow weather warning for rain across most of the South West until 3am on Friday 5 January.