Dean Gosnell, who lives in Purley and saw his home flooded in January and February, said: “It’s difficult to clean it all up afterwards. None of the drainage works so that causes more problems.

“There is very little that can be done. People cannot stop the water so if it’s coming, it’s coming.

“Every time it happens everybody gets together and says we need to do something… and then it dries and everyone goes back to their lives and forgets about it and nothing ever really gets done.”

The railways have also endured problems. Services at Newbury station were delayed after sewage covered a platform following a water main burst.

It had already been hit by flooding from Storm Bert at the weekend, which meant fewer trains could use the station.

However, Great Western Railway said it was expecting the situation to improve in the coming days.