TORRENTIAL rain turned a small stream into a raging torrent at Silkstone, creating the worst flooding in living memory.

Long-time residents said they had not seen the like in 50 years as water poured from the hills and turned the High Street into a river.

The stream, which runs between the Red Lion pub and a house on the High Street, normally flows at a trickle, but by Monday morning it had formed into a river.

It cascaded over the back wall of a garden, demolishing a trellis and flooding knee-deep into the house. Garden furniture and large plant pots were swept out into the street and cars attempting to navigate the flood were forced to avoid the additional hazard of floating debris.

Sharon Winter, 56, Vicarage Farm Road, Silkstone, said: “I've never seen anything like it. Totally unbelievable.

“I'm a bit scared about what mother nature can do.

“Some of these poor people here have only just dried up after last week and I'm worried about the kids coming back from school.

“I don’t think anybody could've expected this amount of rainfall.”

Last week’s flood had been less severe when Silkstone Beck burst its banks, and villagers said they had not expected further flooding from the opposite direction.

Two houses close to the beck were ruined as their ground floors were submerged in several feet of water.