‘Christmas was ruined for my kids’: Northampton mum’s heartache after being evacuated from Billing Aquadrome

A mum has recalled the moment she saw a ‘mini tsunami’ before her and her family were evacuated from a Northampton holiday park.

Rebecka Myllymäki has owned a mobile home on Billing Aquadrome for six years, which she shares with her partner and two children - the youngest of whom is just three-months-old.

After heavy rainfall leading up to Christmas, the holiday park had to be evacuated due to flooding, which in parts reached five feet deep.

Rebecka recalls flooding at the park in 2016, but says it was nowhere near as bad as this year’s.

The mum-of-two said: “We had been for a walk with our kids and just got back to our mobile home.

“As we were standing there talking to our neighbours I could see a mini tsunami moving towards us.

“I quickly got the kids into the car and ran in to get the essential baby products.

“By the time I came out (two or three minutes later) the ground was completely covered and water reached half way up to my knee.”

The family was evacuated on Christmas Eve, as were around 1,000 other residents.

After spending the first night at a friend’s house, the family have been staying with Rebecka’s work colleague since, so are unsure of the damage to their home.

The Environment Agency has temporarily repaired the banks of the River Nene and delivered sandbags, so many residents have now been allowed to return to the park yesterday (December 29) and today (December 30) as management complete a phased reopening.

Rebecka added: “We were absolutely devastated as it was on Christmas Eve and with two kids we were then homeless.

“Christmas was ruined for the kids as we did not manage to grab any presents for them or any other essential items.

“The kids have been very unsettled and upset and I am in the same clothes I left in.”

Rebecka is fearful that everything the family stored in their shed will be ruined by the flood water.

As she is currently on maternity leave, she is concerned about not being able to replace the belongings as ‘money is tight’, so is appealing for help from the community.

Rebecka has set up a GoFundMe page to help her family get back on her feet, which can be found here.

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