A MAN finally got his own back on the River Severn after he built flood defences to protect his property.

Nick Lupton and his wife Anne had their £600k home flooded eleven times since they moved into the property in Pixham in 2016.

The retired engineer has now been dubbed 'Worcester's King Canute' after he built a 7ft-high flood defence around their four-bedroom detached property.

The two said they became so fed up with the costly clear-ups that they remortgaged the house to pay for the flood wall and hoped it would add value to their home.

"We bought the house with our eyes wide open," said Mr Lupton, aged 60. 

"We've been flooded 11 times since 2016.

Worcester News: WOW: He has been applauded by his neighbours.WOW: He has been applauded by his neighbours. (Image: SWNS)"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 in the middle of October.

Worcester News: Everything around the property is completely waterlogged.Everything around the property is completely waterlogged. (Image: SWNS)"This flood is quite a high one, close to the record in 2020, so it's a really good test of it and so far, it's stood up to that."

Before building the flood wall, the couple had added barriers in front of the doors and pumps under the floors to keep the flood water out.

They spent four months constructing the brick barrier before finally finishing it last October – just weeks before Storm Henk swept Britain.

Worcester News: FLOODING IN WORCESTER: The city has been badly impacted.FLOODING IN WORCESTER: The city has been badly impacted. (Image: SWNS)The 17th-century house, on the banks of the River Severn 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.

Residents living nearby have congratulated the couple for protecting their home.

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.

"Flooding is such a problem around here. It's not just the fields that flood, it's roads and homes."