ALONG the length of Askern Road, residents are hanging curtains, choosing paint and trying to dig some life into their gardens.

A year after flooding wrecked homes and forced families apart, life in Toll Bar is slowly returning to normal.

The bright yellow Henry Boot construction signs might be coming down but life has changed considerably for the residents of this former pit village.

At Diane Cooper's council home on Askern Road the sleek new kitchen, fitted white bathroom and decor look fantastic.

Single mum Diane, who wasn't insured and lost most of her possessions, is pleased with the outstanding results but the past 12 months have been tough.

"Amy still gets upset when it rains," explains Diane, 43, who has lived in Toll Bar since she was Amy's age.

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"She did an interview on the radio a few months ago and told the reporter she'd been depressed. She said she was depressed because I was depressed.

"I never knew because you don't think of kids getting down but I guess it's affected us all."

When the rains came, Diane and Amy never imagined how their lives would change.

"The house just started filling up before our eyes. It was coming through the floorboards at such a rate," recalls Diane. "There was nothing we could do.

"Later on the water was four-and-a-half feet deep and over the worktops.

"We left the house in the clothes we were standing in.

"We left the back door open and didn't have any money or identification. It was just a matter of getting out as fast as we could."

Diane managed to save two televisions but everything else was washed away.

The following day, after their first night with 153 others in Adwick Leisure Centre, Diane returned home by boat.

She rowed down Askern Road, normally busy with traffic and past her daughter's school. She was carried into the house and grabbed a few essential items.

It was then 10 long months before she was able to return home to a renovated house she barely recognised.

"For the first month we lived in Adwick Leisure Centre. The children loved it. They had the run of it.

"Sleeping with 153 people was hard. They sectioned off part of the sports hall and people with big families were given squash courts. People had dogs, cats, rabbits and budgies with them and there wasn't one argument with the children or the adults.

"Everyone had down days when they wanted to be on their own but we just got on with it."

Toll Bar has always been a close community but Diane feels the flood has brought people together.

"There were some people you didn't talk to much but now because we've been through this together, we stop and talk.

"It was strained at first, especially between council tenants and 'privates' – because the council tenants were well looked after.

"There was also a lot of anger about how slow the council was to respond. I was angry for those first five days but once we'd had an apology I just got on with it.


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