Barrie (71) and Carole (65) Cockayne are reduced to using a bucket in the bathroom as the only way to avoid their backed-up and brimming toilet overflowing and say many of their neighbours in Necton are in the same situation.

Anglian Water recognises the problem, but has claimed there is little it can do to resolve it because the likelihood is that surface water is being wrongly diverted into the foul water system and it does not have powers to stop it.

Mrs Cockayne said: "It is very upsetting. This shouldn't be happening in 2008.

"Every time we are going to have heavy rain you think 'is it going to happen again?'

"We have to go to the toilet in a bucket and can't have a shower.

"Another fear we have got is they are talking about building another 148 properties in the village, where is all that going to go?"

The Cockaynes have suffered the problem on a number of occasions since moving into their Elizabeth Drive home five years ago.

Monday was a typical example when their toilet filled to the brim with water at around 10am and the couple were unable to use it or their shower until it receded at almost midnight.

Repeated drainage problems in Necton, which have seen streets flooded with waste, led the parish council to set up a working group to focus on trying to get action.

Parish council chairman Frank Woodward said: "We have heard this lots of times before.

"One of the problems is they are building more and more houses but we have got 1940s and 1930s pipes which are not big enough.

"It's not nice for this to happen to anybody. In this day and age you shouldn't have to have a bucket in the toilet."

An Anglian Water spokesman said: "We are not shying away from the issue but will need more than our powers to resolve it.

"We are going to look into it and work out what parties need to be involved to get this moving."

louise.brain@lynnnews.co.uk