Households had to mop up after the flooding

The fire service pumped out up to a foot of water from about 30 homes in Winston Churchill Drive, in King's Lynn, in the early hours of Monday.

Anglian Water then turned off the water supply to the estate to allow engineers to carry out repairs.

A spokesman apologised for any inconvenience and said work was being carried out to resolve the situation.

Local resident Nigel Duke said the water had caused damage to electrical equipment, furnishings and flooring throughout his property.

School closure

"It was a bit frightening we didn't know what was going on. We were walking through water and it was cold," he added.

"We just had to get out. I climbed through a window to see what I could do."

An Anglian Water spokesman added: "We have a water care register where particularly vulnerable customers have registered with us and they'll be given bottled water immediately.

"We will assess as we go along whether the rest of the community affected need bottled water."

Ethel Tipple School, which caters for special needs students, has been closed for the day because of the flood.