“My wedding photo album, our clothes, medical records, our children’s belongings, they are all gone.”

About 60 homes were flooded in Lodge Lane, Collier Row, after the River Rom burst its banks on Thursday morning.

Traffic in the borough was gridlocked as water poured on to roads forcing their closure after the rivers Rom and Ingrebourne burst.

Six schools and Maylands GP surgery, Hornchurch, were also forced to close after a night of heavy downpours.

Devastated mother-of-three Samera Javed, 38, woke to see her mattress floating in her home in Collier Row Road, Collier Row.

She said: “We’re fasting at the moment so we wanted to be all together – so we slept downstairs in the living room on mattresses.

“It was about half four when our neighbour started banging on the wall shouting ‘there’s water coming in’ and that’s when we woke up and saw our mattresses were floating.

“Everything is gone. We tried to save some clothes but that was it because we thought safety first and got out.

She has lost her wedding photos, clothes and important documents.

“The water rose to about three feet and destroyed it all – we’re guessing it might cost around £30,000 to replace and repair it all.

“I was so shocked and confused by it all, I don’t know what’s going to happen now.”

Also in Collier Row Paul Gleaves, 51, and his son Josh, 14, were rescued by boat after being stranded as they tried to get to school in Croydon.

In Romford, the YMCA in Rush Green Road was described as “a castle with a ditch of water around it”.

Among the chaos, residents have a come out in solidarity to help those worse affected.

Bobby Izzard, of Hornchurch, offered his services to anyone in need on social media.

The 24-year-old said he could help residents move furniture, clean any flood damage or give them a lift to the shops. “Some elderly people must be in need of help and I am sitting here waiting,” he said.

More rain was forecast as the Recorder went to press for updates go to romfordrecorder.co.uk