FLOODING caused chaos in Stanford-le-Hope yesterday after a crucial water pump broke down.

Business bosses at the Stanhope Industrial Park, in Wharf Road were furious after up to five feet of water blocked off potential customers - and caused traffic problems.

Wharf Road suffered badly after a large water pump, designed to prevent flooding from the nearby Warren fishing lakes, just stopped working sending water gushing in.

Carol Wager, of Wharf Shipping Services, blamed the council for failing to fix a problem which, she says, has been going on for months.

She said: “We are helpless and simply don’t know what to do.

“It is all very well big trucks crossing the water, but vans struggle and cars certainly can’t. It just causes havoc for everyone and it doesn’t look any closer to being resolved.

“How many more times must this affect us before something is done.”

Traders have been transported across the water by HGVs, but cars were unable to reach the industrial park, meaning they have been left the other side of the flooding.

Many traders went home early.

Deak Hayden, 63, manager at Travis Perkins, says he has lost 75 per cent of his trade and was unable to make any afternoon deliveries.

Yesterday he said: “We usually get around 120 customers a day, but today has been a total write-off. “I am just wondering how we are going to get home.

“We are totally stuck and without any real means of getting across. All our cars are parked the other side, but we are just wondering what time we will be able to get out of here.”

Until six months ago there was a public footpath that led across the railway line, but that has been fenced off since Balfour Beatty developed a rail terminal at the new superport due to the length of the freight trains using the line.

Dave Sorenson, 29, is a worker on the industrial park.

He said: “The council’s response has been slow and unhelpful.

“There is no access to the other side and the council wasn’t even aware that there are residential properties on the fishing lake side of the bridge.”

A spokesperson for Thurrock Council said: “We are pumping the water away from the road and although there is still flooding there it is not deep and the road is passable. Work to fix the pump is ongoing.”