It's yesterday's news ... but we're still here

Dramatic pictures of their plight were flashed around the world as our region experienced record rainfalls and massive devastation in the Great Flood of 2007.

Today they go about their daily lives again.

Traffic flows along streets where water ran three feet deep, people are shopping, chatting on street corners and walking to the pub.

But all is far from back to normal in the Doncaster villages of Bentley and Toll Bar.

Skips line the streets and car parks, the air is filled with the sound of hammering and electric saws, a whiff a glue and paint blows along High Street.

This is an area still in shock and only just beginning its recovery from the worst flood damage in generations.

Both banks are still closed, The Halifax, Mrs Bouquet's flower shop, and Pauline's ladies fashion are among many stores and businesses that have stayed locked up.

Resentment and anger equals the collective desire to get on with life again.

Francesca Gardiner is one of the lucky ones. Her image summed up the extent of the flooding when she was pictured wading across High Street carrying her neighbour's three-year-old son Sam Jolly through two feet of water.

"I had just been over to the Lucky Six Chinese where I was working and they took my picture," said 36-year-year-old mum Francesca whose house on Old Hall Road escaped the flood.

"At home it was like being on an island, the water was creeping towards us but didn't get high enough to flood. But we didn't sleep for days we were getting up to check the water levels every half an hour. A lot of people are angry that not enough was done to warn what was coming."

Conspiracy theories abound in the village.

'They sacrificed Toll Bar and Bentley to save Doncaster Town centre', goes one, 'they dumped water here to save Sheffield' goes another.

Any manipulation of waterflow or 'flood sacrifice' is denied by all agencies. But that doesn't soothe the bitterness felt by many in the village.

"When they pumped Ulley out into the River Don it had to go somewhere and it came up here," said Kevin Naylor of K&M Domestics.

"They flooded Tool Bar and Bentley to save Frenchgate in Doncaster. They reckoned it would only cause 30 million of damage round here instead of 300 million in town.

"A lot of decisions were made without any consultation and that has left people annoyed. We have had no help whatsoever.

"Insurance companies are not making any interim payments, some people will be without an income for six or seven months. We won't be right until after Christmas."

The Bay Horse pub was pictured with rescue workers going past in a dinghy but amazingly the place escaped any serious damage.

"We had about four inches in the cellar but none in the pub itself," said landlord John Parfitt.

"We were lucky and I had pumps working 24 hours a day pumping out the cellar and then de-humidifiers and fans to take the smell away. Most places are on the mend now, it's just a matter of getting on with it for most people."

Silvana Gismondi-Benton is doing just that. She runs Gismondi haute-couture dressmakers on High Street and her shop was flooded threatening wedding gowns and Ladies' Day outfits.

"We were suddenly told we had to evacuate the place so we grabbed as much as we could and got out," said Silvana.

"Water came up from under the floor but we were able to get everything people needed for weddings.

"We were closed for a while and then the road was closed and no-one was coming in to Bentley so we have some catching up to do business wise.

"It has been stressful. Wages and other overheads need paying and we had no income for a while.

"We are racing to make up the time. There have been a few tears along the way, but we are hopeful we can get back to where we were."