Couple beat Storm Henk after being flooded 11 times by building 7ft wall around house

Incredible drone photos show a house and garden protected from Storm Henk flooding after the owners built a 7ft wall around their home.

Nick Lupton, 60 and his wife Anne, 50, have been flooded 11 times since they moved into the 17th century Worcestershire house on the banks of the River Severn in 2016.

The couple became so tired of the costly clear-ups they decided to construct a 7ft wall around the converted six bedroom property in Worcester as a flood defence.

They spent four months building the brick barrier before it was completed in September – a little over three months before Storm Henk hit the country.

The storm caused a huge amount of flooding, with the River Severn among the waterways to burst their banks earlier this week.

Thankfully, the couple’s wall did its job and managed to keep their property dry as the entire area around them became submerged in water.

Retired engineer, Nick, who has been dubbed King Canute by neighbours said: ‘We bought the house with our eyes wide open.

‘We’ve been flooded 11 times since 2016.

‘We live in a beautiful part of the world, right next to the River Severn, with one drawback – we get flooded.

‘We finally decided to build ourselves a wall around the house. We built it last summer and it took about four months to complete.

‘We finished it in the middle of September and we tested it the middle of October.

‘This flood is quite a high one, it’s close to the record in 2020, so it’s a really good test of it and so far it’s stood up to that.’

Part of the property was once the river ferryboat’s inn. When it was a pub, the sound of floating beer barrels in the cellar was a sign of the rising water.

Prior to building the flood wall, the couple would put barriers in front of the doors and pumps under the floor to keep the water out.

They remortgaged in order to cover the cost of the flood wall and hope it will have added value to the property.

Residents living nearby have been impressed with the work.

One said: ‘Nick’s a fabulous fella and we all applaud him for what he’s done – we call him Worcester’s answer to King Canute.

They added: ‘Flooding is such a problem around here. It’s not just the fields that flood, it’s roads and homes.

‘The powers that be must act soon to stop this misery happening again and again or people will simply move away.’

One man who would do well to follow in the Luptons’ footsteps in Hollywood actor, George Clooney.

The 62-year-old’s UK base, a Berkshire manor house on the banks of the River Thames was hit by flooding as a result of Storm Henk.

While the Grade-II listed building is not thought to have water damage inside, the gardens and surrounding area were reduced to giant ponds.

There are still hundreds of flood warnings in place across the UK.

While the Met Office predicts the worst of the wet weather has passed, water levels remain high and colder temperatures are predicted for the next few days.

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