Anger after rain fills blocked drain and floods West Bromwich street preventing funeral tradition

But after one family was unable to observe a funeral tradition when the hearse could not down the road due to the water in November, and with another family struggling to leave the house to attend medical appointments, they say enough is enough.

Bereaved father Naran Patel, aged 85, explained: "The first time it flooded was six years ago and I have been I have been complaining ever since. I have to be paying £600 a year house insurance, £1,800 in council tax and more than £500 in water bills, but I'm not getting the service to show for it.

"If I stopped paying my bills they would be taking me to court. This is not fair for us to be treated like this.

"The council is blaming the water company and the water company is blaming the council for what's happening.

"We the residents just want someone to take responsibility and do something to fix it."

Mr Patel, a retired mechanic, added: "My son Dipak, aged 52, died in unexpectedly in hospital in November but we weren't able to bring him to the house he grew up in because the hearse couldn't get down the street. We had to take him to his house in Great Barr instead. This is an important Hindu tradition to take the body home.

"This was distressful to us as a family."

He explained: "When the cars come down the street this causes waves which push the water into our house. I am very worried about the effect of the water on our house and its foundations.

"I have phoned the council and the water company to report it many times. Sometimes I can't get through and I just hang up the phone as it gets too much,"

Among the residents struggling to get access to their homes is Gillian Parry, who was recently discharged from hospital. Her daughter Becky Darby said: "A few years ago all of the houses got flooded, but the problem has never gone away.

"Every time it rains the street gets blocked up and water flows into the properties depending on where the houses are positioned. The front gardens and drives are covered, people cannot use their cars which they have to park at the top of the road.

"The worse affected residents are aged in their 70s and are finding life increasingly difficult as they get older to cope with the water levels which rise every seven to ten days if it rains. It is causing them all a lot of distress and it seems to them like no-one is taking responsibility.

"The road was flooded over Christmas. The water subsides then rises again so there's no relief from it.

"Severn Trent has given my mom a 50 per cent discount on the sewerage rate part of her water bill, but she would rather them do something to stop the flooding rather than get a cheque in the post."

Other issues arising from the flooding included an unknown motorist getting caught in the water on Saturday night. In a bid to turn round the vehicle in the darkness, it struck the front garden wall of Millward Street resident Alan Lunn, leaving it partially demolished.

Councillor Randhawa said: "I have been trying to get this matter sorted out for almost three years. The residents have been having recurring problems due to Millward Street being on a gradient where it joins Brandon Way and the connection to Kelvin Way."

"At two of the houses the occupants can't get their cars of the drive without wearing wellies. The drains have been flushed out a couple of times, but it's not enough."

Severn Trent's waste team manager Joel Hancock said: “We’re sorry about the issues residents in Millward Street are experiencing as we know how distressing any kind of flooding can be. Investigations carried out by our team found that there has been no sewer flooding in the street, but we believe there may be a blockage in the surface water pipe that is restricting the flow and contributing to the problems.

"Further inspections need to be carried out in the surrounding area to locate the blockage and find out how it was caused. This is a complex issue, but we are working hard to find a resolution as quickly as possible and would like to thank residents for their patience while we come up with a permanent solution.”

The company added that silt is left behind whenever subsides and that there is no sewage discharge.

Ward representative for Greets Green and Lyng, Councillor Pam Randhawa said on Tuesday: " The flooding is very bad. It's much worse than when I came on Monday to visit. I am working with the council's highways office, with Severn Trent's engineers and the residents to resolve the issue and identify the source.

"I have never seen this road so bad before."

A Sandwell Council statement said: “We would like to thank residents for bringing this flooding to our attention. We encourage residents to report all incidents such as this to both the Council and Severn Trent Water so that we can work jointly to identify the causes and put together plans to rectify them.”