Flooding at Big Box Storage company in Wherstead Road, Ipswich

EVERYTHING I own in the world is ruined.

Those are the words from distraught Nathan Hamblet after heavy rain caused floodwater to surge into Big Box Storage’s unit overnight on Friday where all of his property is being kept.

Mr Hamblet, 35, has had his possessions at the Wherstead Road storage centre for the past fortnight while his five-bedroom home in Waterloo Road, Ipswich, is being renovated.

He said: “The building flooded the week before last and I wasn’t aware of the extent of the damage.”

Mr Hamblet said his grandfather’s 100-year-old book collection and antiques had been damaged.

“When I heard all the rain on Friday night I feared the worst.

“I rang them in the morning and asked if my stuff was ok but they said ‘no, and that it was even worse’ than before.”

Decorator Mr Hamblet, who is staying with his mum Jill Scott in Constitution Hill, Ipswich, while the renovations are carried out, described the flooding as like “a river running through the building”.

He added: “I thought my stuff would be safe, secure and dry when I’m paying £200 a month.

“I live in a five-bedroom house so there were a number of sofas, tables, televisions and expensive items in there. They can be replaced with insurance, but there’s several items of sentimental value in there too.

“My grandad had a massive book collection which meant something to me, really old photographs and artwork which could all have been lost.

“I need to be able to get in there and see the true extent of the damage and what can be salvaged.”

A Big Box Storage spokesman said: “There has been flooding and we are doing everything we can to rectify the situation.”

The company was unable to provide further comment at the time of going to press.

n Have your possessions been affected by the weekend’s flooding? Call newsdesk on 01473 324790 or e-mail starnews@archant.co.uk