A BUSINESS owner who used buckets to throw rain water away from her cafe has said road changes have increased the risk of flooding.

Sadie Graves, the owner of The Loft Café Bar in Bingley, said water now creeps up onto the pavement after the kerbs on Main Street were removed to make way for a new crossing.

The lack of drains on Main Street, which was adapted for the arrival of a new Lidl store, means the water is channelled directly down the road to the row of shops.

Sadie is not the only business owner with concerns as the florist next door, Paulette Johnson, faces "anxiety" every time rain starts to fall.

Paulette, who first opened up shop 11 years ago, explained how the situation has become "crazy".

She told the Telegraph & Argus: "I know if it's heavily raining it's going to flood again.

"It's making me so anxious.

"I can't sleep on a night.

"It's awful for Sadie because the water's actually gone in her shop.

"I know Sadie's really stressed.

"I feel my heart racing.

"There's not enough drainage. It's crazy."

The cafe owner said not only does she have to lock customers in her shop until the rain passes, people walking by get "absolutely drenched".

And, in her whole nine years of running the cafe, Sadie said this has "never" happened before.

She said: "We're the lowest point on the pavement, the water just comes through.

"We have to go up to our shins in water.

"I've come up at six in the morning because I knew it would have flooded the cafe.

"We had customers that couldn't even step out of the shop.

"It affects us all. It's not got anywhere to go.

"It just makes me anxious and stressed.

"I was busy shovelling the water. They (the customers) just couldn't believe it."

"It's hard to make ends meet as it is.

"We are a busy cafe and I want it to stay."

Bradford Council came down to assess the street and said the issue is caused by a blocked drain.

But Sadie still feels unsettled that this isn't the end to her flooding woes.

"We are keeping fingers crossed that it should be much better but the lack of gully’s and drains around the road alterations (has) still not been rectified," she said.

A Bradford Council spokesperson, said: “The Council always takes drainage into account when considering planning applications so that the highway can cope with normal levels of rainfall.

“We sent a team of officers out to investigate on Sunday (August 18) when the roads were quieter.

“After digging up the pavement, we discovered a large piece of concrete was blocking one of the underground gullies. This has now been removed.

“We expect this has fixed the problem, however, will continue to work with local businesses to sort out any problems that may arise.”