A residential area which has been plagued by flooding could have more than £1m spent on improvements by Anglian Water.

At a meeting of the Gorleston Area Committee, bosses of the water provider said they are looking at improvements to the area surrounding the White Horse Roundabout in Gorleston, which includes Beccles Road and Burgh Road.

However, these improvements are not expected to be completed until September 2019; nor has the method of improvement been selected.

At the last meeting of the committee in December, it was agreed representatives from Anglian Water would be invited to discuss the issue, after concerns were raised.

At the December meeting one resident described his road as like living in a third world country, with torrential rain causing flash flooding at the roundabout five times last year. The latest committee saw around 40 members of the public in attendance and they heard from Simon Love, Anglian Water's head of water recycling collection services.

He said the company were exploring three possible solutions - urging residents to provide as much evidence as possible on the issue.

He said: 'We are taking this matter very seriously and we need to estimate the impact it is having on a property by property basis.

'We are in the process of exploring three different solutions, with investigations ongoing.'

These three options are providing off line storage tanks, hydro brakes, which would be put into pipes to slow water flow, or sewers diversions, all designed to quell the impact of flash flooding in torrential rain.

Mr Love said in order to gather enough information to assess the problems, residents must report issues they have with flooding in and around their properties to Anglian Water.

He added: 'We accept there is a problem but cannot be specific about exactly what needs to be done about it at this stage. Each property affected must be looked at on their own merits.'

Also in attendance were representatives from Norfolk County Council's flood and water management department and Great Yarmouth Borough Council's environmental services.

Mr Love will keep the committee updated.

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: 'Flood risk management is a complex issue that does not have a simple solution. It involves many partners, with many and differing responsibilities, working together.'

'We have listened to our customers, and are looking at all options, from traditional engineering solutions, like storage and capacity increases, to new and innovative methods, such as removing even surface water from the network altogether to reduce the risk of flooding.

'Anglian Water engineers are exploring all the options and will continue to update the Gorleston Area Committee as our plans progress.'

Sarah Dobson