A WOMAN whose historic cottage was flooded three times last week has said: “We cannot live like this.”

Jennie Spicer, who lives at Bessy Beneath Cottages at Ruan High Lanes on the Roseland Peninsula, is desperate for authorities to get to the root of flooding caused by heavy rain overwhelming the drainage system.

Her family are currently living in temporary accommodation due to the number of floods affecting her 17th century property, which is allegedly named after a local highwaywoman who was mortally wounded and buried beneath the cottage when it was an inn.

Mrs Spicer’s home has been flooded five times since September 2023, when the family had to vacate the property for nine months. Recent torrential rain saw the cottage flooded on Monday, Thursday and Friday last week, with water reportedly water 18 inches high in the back garden.

Mrs Spicer has contacted her local councillor Julian German, Veryan Parish Council and Cornwall Highways, as well as Jayne Kirkham MP, who she says has requested a CCTV investigation by the council. “My husband and son battled the elements for three hours on Monday night before giving up and leaving the house. On Tuesday we couldn’t get in,” she said. “How do we protect ourselves from this?”

She added: “I have reported these drains three times since Christmas - they are constantly covered in a layer of compacted mud. Then there’s the added problem that the drains are not functional. The drains need CCTV inspection and remedy - we are constantly having to report them, even though the council say they are fully functional.

“We cannot live like this. We haven’t had a home in two years.”

Mrs Spicer said despite a representative of Cornwall Highways saying the drains had been cleared, they were overflowing again half an hour later.

A council blamed “flood water running off the fields in the area, overwhelming the drainage system, which is designed to cope with the rainfall catchment from the highway alone”.

The spokesperson added: “The drains have been cleaned and are functioning as expected in the conditions.

“We have reported the issue to colleagues in the Environment Agency’s land management team who consider overland exceedance flows with landowners and they will investigate the matter with the relevant landowner in due course.”