Heavy downpours left families in a problem-hit road fearing water would come into their homes despite attempts to fix the flooding problems.

Homeowners in Barton Way, Croxley Green, are frustrated after water ran down their driveways towards their homes.

This comes after repeated attempts by Ringway to repair the road after they installed new pipes in a bid to prevent flooding.

Dave Jeffs, 64, of Barton Way, said: “I have lived here for 45 years and there has been a problem with this ever since I have lived here.

“The job they [Ringway] have done is absolutely abysmal. The only water that was flowing away was from the old drains.

“The water came up to my doorstep and that is four inches off the ground. Water was also flowing down my drive into the back garden.

“I was worried it was going to go into my house. As soon as the heavy rain started, I got on the phone to the council and said that if there was another heavy downpour, it will come into my house. I said I can’t do anything, I’m helpless. It should have just flowed down the drain.

“The work was an absolute bodge.”

Margaret Charlton, 84, of Barton Way, said: “The cars should have been stopped from coming down the road because they came down here and when they got to about number 17, they probably couldn’t see the water as much.

“Then they just drove through it and it was a like a wave that went into our garden.

“It hasn’t come in the house yet. They are supposed to be putting it right. It is just ridiculous. It is such a mess.”

Her husband, Ken Charlton, 86, fears water may have got under the floorboards after coming in through the airbricks.

The street, which is a major bus route, was initially closed for three weeks between Monday, May 18 and Tuesday, June 9, as Ringway improved the drains under the road surface to prevent future flooding.

Just weeks after the work was finished, sections of the road started collapsing and one neighbour said a hole appeared within two days of the work being completed.

But while repairing the collapsing road, the firm disturbed a manhole cover and returned a week later to fix the problem, The company was then forced to admit that the ground underneath the pipes were moving “metres below” the newly installed pipes.

Kevin Carrol, Ringway Divisional Manager, working on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council, has admitted they will be returning again to repair the problem "once and for all".

He said: “As most people are aware, there have been ongoing issues with the Barton Way drainage scheme since it was installed.

"We have now completed our investigations and unfortunately, the problem is more acute than originally believed. As such, we will be revisiting the scheme to rectify the issues once and for all next month, entirely at our own expense.

"We will provide the details of the precise dates to the residents of Barton Way once we have confirmed the timings.  

"As a company that prides itself on delivering quality construction work first time, we can only apologise for the concerns and inconvenience this scheme has caused.”