Looking at Waverley Street and parallel Cavendish Street, you wouldn't think the roads could be a focus of the flooding which devastated scores of Worcester homes.

The River Severn lies several hundred yards away, but every resident is well aware of the discomfort and distress that flooding brings.

Last October, it became clear the sewers that serve hundreds of city homes could not cope with the flooding.

They became backed up, and began to empty into homes in Waverley and Cavendish Streets. Three months later, in January, the water was beginning to subside.

Many families are still recovering from the crisis, but are living with the fear the deluge could strike again in as soon as six weeks' time.

Waverley Street resident Mary Dhonau has been campaigning for better sewerage systems in the surrounding streets.

Her lobbying came to a head last week when more than 100 residents packed into a meeting at the Guildhall and set up a flood committee.

Mrs Dhonau's home is now back to how it was before the crisis, but not everyone is as lucky.

Pauline Makepeace has been living in her Cavendish Street home without the comforts we all take for granted.

"My bathroom's completely ruined from all the washing I've had to do," said Ms Makepeace.

"But my kitchen has been fitted and I've now got a dishwasher and washing machine.

"It's been like living on a building site.

"My 18-month-old son Louis has spent most of his life living in chaos."

She said that she would be forced to live upstairs if the house was flooded again.

"I'd give up with the downstairs, it would cost me far too much to keep doing up.

"I'm hopeful for this year though, anything will be an improvement on last year."

Jenny Jennings says she and her husband Carl are bracing themselves for the winter.

"We've completely finished getting the house back to normal," said Mrs Jennings, of Cavendish Street.

"But every time it rains we're concerned that the road will flood.

"It's been so stressful. This year has been a nightmare.

"Just as you feel you're getting out of it they're talking about how we could flood again in six weeks.

"Hopefully we should be OK now we've been fitted with a non-return valve."

In Hylton Road, residents watched as river levels crept closer to their homes until finally they were flooded.

Judith Robbins has lived in her house for more than 30 years and, before last year, had not experienced flooding.

For seven months she and her family lived upstairs.

"It was horrendous and quite a strain for the family," she revealed.

"We cooked everything either on the hobs or the microwave until the kitchen was finished.

"It was a huge relief when everything was finished, we're hoping we won't flood again."