Householders looked on in horror last night as a rising tide of sewage threatened to swamp their homes.

Residents in two Worthing streets said floodwater rose 5ft in just two hours after a pumping station broke down.

Gardens were flooded and a couple who keep chickens lost four of their pedigree birds, which drowned.

The mopping up operation was continuing today in Seamill Park Avenue and Seamill Park Crescent, south of Southern Water's sewage works, near Brooklands leisure park.

Residents called the fire brigade at 7.30pm last night when they saw floodwater pouring into their gardens during torrential rain Lee Neal, 25, was the first to spot the rising tide of sewage and raised the alarm.

Samuel Cogram, 70, and his wife Mary, 68, keep 50 chickens, six goats, two barn owls, two dogs and a tame goose in the garden of their Seamill Park Crescent home.

Mary said: "It's heartbreaking isn't it. They didn't want me to go into the water, saying it was sewage, but I had to rescue the animals, I can't leave them to drown. Our son had to carry the goats out for us as they were up to their necks in it.

"I'm disgusted with it. You can't help rain, but when things like this happen they should warn us.

Samuel Cogram added he did not think it was right to be told he could claim on his insurance: "It's Southern Water's fault and they should pay."

Arthur Firth, 55, who lives on Seamill Crescent, said he was appalled how long it took Southern Water to come down and deal with the problem.

He said: "If it had been in the early hours, the whole house would have been flooded by sewage as there was no warning from the sewage station."