THOUSANDS of gallons of floodwater gushed from a blocked pipe for nearly four days, making life a misery for nearby businesses and homes.

The leak from the pipe on Steam Mills Road, Cinderford started at about 1pm on Wednesday (June 23) and was still going on Saturday morning.

Temporary traffic signals were put in place as Gloucestershire Highways and Severn Trent Water worked on the leak but businesses and a home on the other side of the road were affected.

The flow of water into Whimsey Road caused a bank to collapse onto the property of the Dock Solutions company, causing about £5,000 worth of damage.

The land had been bought recently by Mr Clive Edwards, who runs Slabs 2 U to convert into a car park for his garden centre and hard landscaping company.

Mr Clive Durham, who lives on Whimsey Road, used a pump to ensure his home was not affected after being flooded on Christmas Eve last year.

Barry Cindery-Smith, of engineering firm Dock Solutions said his staff dug out an estimated 10 to 15 tonnes of mud from the area following the flood and that the damage caused in just two days could cost the business around £5,000.

“Some of the land has slipped over onto Slabs 2 U next door and the fence is now going to have to be re-stabilised.

“It’s all down to a lack of maintenance from my point of view, if you look around you can see it everywhere in the Forest.

“The state of the roads, the signs, unkept verges - the Forest is in a state of dilapidation as it is now and it is a big cause for concern.”

Mr Edwards said he lost business as a result of the flood because people were put off getting out of their cars.

He said: “Customers are coming but they won’t get out into this. We are losing business because of this. It has been very quiet.

“I’ve just bought site to secure my future and bought the land off my neighbour for car parking – I’ve just put the stone down, about 60 tons of scalpings and raised it up which is just as well or all that water would have gone straight down.”

Mr Durham said he had not seen anything like the flood at a time when there had not been a significant amount of rain.

He said: “Normally for this you need a couple of weeks of solid rain and a couple of downpours and then you would see it like this. There are properties and businesses already in dire straits here – it is a complete nightmare.

“I want answers I don’t want another sleepless night and come down to five inches of water (like in) December.

Andrew Middlecote, local highways manager for Gloucestershire County Council, said: “We were made aware of this issue last Thursday and have been to the site to investigate.

“The drainage pipe that crosses the road on Steam Mills Road has become blocked and there is a burst pipe belonging to Severn Trent Water.

“We are working on resolving the issue and would like to thank residents for their patience and understanding.”