Angry Rawcliffe residents were due to meet Vale of York MP Anne McIntosh today to vent their anger at City of York Council and the Environment Agency over the flooding of their homes.

Brian Taylor, from Rawcliffe Croft, said a deputation intended to meet the MP, discuss their grievances and decide how to take the matter further.

More than 175 homes were flooded in the Rawcliffe area after it was hit by what Leader of the Council Rod Hills described as a "double whammy".

Flood defences on the Ouse were breached and a beck running alongside homes was also breached, leaving Coun Hills admitting the handling of the situation there "may have been a mistake".

"This was an unprecedented situation and resources were spread across the city," he told a press conference at Fulford Road Police Station yesterday.

"The bolstering of the flood defences citywide prevented a catastrophic flood in many places."

He said the Leeman Road area appeared to be the biggest threat as homes backed onto the river directly.

"We have learned many lessons from this crisis."

Mr Taylor, who still could not get into his home, said people in Rawcliffe Croft had received "no help whatsoever".

"Rawcliffe Croft is extremely angry, the council and the Environment Agency have treated us shabbily," he said.

Mr Taylor, his wife, Denise, and 24-year-old daughter, Kerry, were forced to leave their home as the sewage-ridden water rose to 18 inches.

He said he felt "abandoned" and would demand a public inquiry into how residents were treated.

Pensioners in nearby Furness Drive have reacted with similar anger. They were forced to abandon their bungalows as 3ft of water gushed in.

Many of the residents, some in their 70s, were left with beds and sofas floating around in the murky waters because only a handful of sandbags reached the stricken area in time.

* More than half the homes flooded by the Ouse were in the Rawcliffe area, with Eastholme Drive and Bowness Drive also affected. The A19 Shipton Road remains closed.