FLOOD victims are living in fear of further washouts as developers seek to build on a Merseyside flood plain.

A couple who lost everything when sewage deluged their Leasowe home are furious Wirral council is even considering allowing building work to go ahead.

June and Alan Fletcher, of Reedville Road, had 15 inches of dirty water gush into their bungalow from overburdened drains in September last year.

Everything from carpets to furniture was ruined at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds.

But, despite the couple’s repeated complaints that the drainage system is overloaded, another 30 properties are planned on a site just down the road.

Mr Fletcher, 62, said: “It is an absolutely horrendous situation.”

Council planners have deferred PHP Developments’ proposals for three consecutive months to make sure they have properly looked at all alternatives, but the application is still live. Mr and Mrs Fletcher have only just moved back into their home, six months after the last floods.

Mrs Fletcher said: “My heart sank. We came home from our holidays to find our bungalow had been flooded in rank sewage.

“Our insurers told us we had to move out and live in a caravan for about two months. Then we ended up renting a house because it was getting too cold.”

Despite sandbags and pumps being sent out by the council, the couple’s garden was also ruined.