Home and cars in Ruthin's 2000 floods

Rhyl was the wettest place in the UK overnight receiving 30mm of rain in just over three hours but it is the people of Ruthin who are demanding answers about their prospects for the winter.

Denbighshire County Council has been accused of doing very little over the past year to ensure the town is better protected.

Last month Environment Agency Wales warned that up to 120,000 homes in the country could be at risk of floods if there is a repeat of last year's heavy rain.

A mopping up operation is underway once again in Ruthin's Mwrog Street after six inches of flood water rushed into a chip shop and hairdressers which only reopened last week after last year's flood.

Mud

The Park Place Hotel also bore the brunt of the flood water - inches of mud can be seen outside and inside the pub.

About 20 homes and half a dozen businesses were affected and local people say the recent work on the culvert which runs under the street is too little, too late.

They also say they had no warning of Friday night's flood.

Eifion Hughes, vice-chairman of a local flood action committee, said: "People are just so frustrated that it has happened again.

"People are so angry. They just cannot believe that it has happened again."

Pump water

He added: "This is the third flood now and people are absolutely devastated. Some of them have only moved back in two or three weeks ago after the last flood."

But Councillor Elwyn Edwards, the leader of the council, said the local authority had been working hard to try and sort the culvert out once and for all.

He said a �1.5m proposal to divert the stream water away from Mwrog Street would be ready to go to consultation at the beginning of November with the project expected to be finished by next summer.

He added that in the meantime the council hoped to get the welsh Assembly's support for a short-term scheme for this winter in which pumps would be used to pump water from the culvert.

Elsewhere in Wales, flooding was reported at Tintern, near Chepstow and a flood warning is in force for the River Vyrnwy from Llasantffraid to Shrawardine, as well as the Severn from Caerhowel to Trewern and the Afon Clwyd at Ruthin.

Flood watches are in force for the north east Powys area and the Vale of Clwyd.