Council bosses say teams are working hard to ensure there are no flooding issues - after the county was drenched in the deluge yesterday.

Southend Council chiefs say teams and agencies are ensuring drain systems are clear and working fully.

It comes after a seafront drain burst with water flooding the area yesterday afternoon, the A127 was also closed near Warely due to issues.

Ron Woodley, cabinet member for transport, capital and inward investment, said: “Yesterday we saw across the county the issues that heavy rain can cause and Southend-on-Sea is no different. Whilst people should only be driving for essential purposes, we know that this can still cause disruption for those who need to be travelling. Compared to other areas we were less affected yesterday but that is not always the case.

“There are two large rivers at the north of the Borough, which can fill very quickly with the surface water from heavy rain. A significant proportion of town centre rainfall flows down to the seafront and the overflow pipe valves run out to the estuary.

“When it is high tide, the rain cannot run out of the overflow pipes into the estuary and so we get a backlog of water which can cause pressure to build in the system and drain lids to be forced off for example. We saw this yesterday at one site on the seafront.

“We have completed work in Chalkwell and London Road to reduce the pressure on the drainage system and we are currently investigating solutions at Eastwood Brook.”

“During surface water flooding incidents staff and contractors work hard to close roads if necessary, and clear roads and tidy up debris as quickly as possible. When the bad weather passes, teams go out to assess the damage and record any work which needs addressing urgently.”

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “Our teams continue to help people experiencing flooding following recent rainfall. Our priority is to work with local councils as the Lead Local Flood Authorities, the Environment Agency and the emergency services to help prevent flooding to people’s homes, because we know how devastating it can be. We’re making sure our own network is operating as well as possible, and where we can, we’re tankering excess water away.”