HOMEOWNERS in Brinscall are demanding a meeting with highways bosses after flash floods left their houses under water.

The three residents all moved into their properties less than a year ago and were assured that previous flooding problems had been fixed by a storm drain installed just four months ago.

The homes in School Lane flooded after an hour-long downpour on Thursday, August 12.

Golf course boss Andrew Merry moved into his cottage with fiance hairdresser Nikki Hayes in March, and paid thousands for new carpets and furnishings.

He said: "We know that there has been flooding in previous years, but when we moved in we were told by the previous residents the problem was definitely fixed.

"An hour's worth of rain has caused thousands of pounds of damage -- and it's the middle of summer. What's it going to be like in the winter when it rains for weeks on end?"

The residents have now grouped together to request a meeting with council bosses.

They believe the problem is with drainage on fields to the rear of the property.

Chorley Borough Council's housing department dug an open drain into the land in March to cope with high volumes of rain water that had been blamed for previous floods.

The residents say the drain coped well, but a culvert designed to catch the water is not big enough, causing water to cascade onto their street.

Builder Graham McCarthy moved into his property in 2003 and has now had to rip up £2,000 of sodden carpet.

He put sandbags against the door but the water was too high. He said: "Before we all replace our ruined things we need to be reassured that this will not happen again. If they don't do something quickly we are going to be sat in out houses with no carpets for months and months.

"I don't want to be worried to leave my house in case it rains."

Steve Lomas, head of housing at Chorley Borough Council, said: "We did do extensive work on the ditch and the culvert earlier this year, and as far as we were aware, it had solved the problem.

"But we do know that the rain on Thursday was extremely heavy and the culvert may just not have been able to cope.

"If there is a problem with the work then we are quite happy to talk to the residents about how we can rectify the situation."

A United Utilities spokesperson said the flooding on School Lane was not their responsibility, but engineers had been in touch with residents to listen to their concerns and help them find the source of the problem.