A PREGNANT woman was among 50 adults and children rescued by firefighters after their road flooded.

Families in Lower Hall Lane, Chingford were evacuated in inflatable boats last night after part of the River Lee burst its banks at about 6pm and the water threatened to flood their homes.

Thirty firefighters carried out the rescue operation through the night ferrying families from ground floor flats, where the water was as high as four feet in places, to safety.

Rosa Zampino, 30, an accounts manager of Low Hall Lane, said: “There was water everywhere, it was like a swimming pool. It was pouring into the road very quickly.”

27-year-old Jonathan Horne, a builder, lives on a top floor flat and took these pictures at 7.30am this morning.

He said: “I felt sorry for all the people going out on rescue boats. There were lots of old people and young children and babies.

“But the emergency services coped really well and managed to put people’s minds at rest.”

Some elderly and frail residents chose to stay in the hope the water would subside, but many stayed with family and friends elsewhere.

Father-of-three Tony Theodoulou, a landscape gardener, took his wife and children to stay with relatives.

He said: “The water was rising really quickly and was getting very high. I was worried about our house flooding. I didn’t really care about the belongings, I just wanted to get my family out safely.”

Transport for London arranged a bus to take 12 adults and children safely to Kelmscott Leisure Centre in Markhouse Road, Walthamstow, where the council had set up a rest centre.

By 9am this morning, the water had receded and families were able to return to their homes to count the cost of any damage caused.

Many residents were seen this morning trying to start their cars after the engines were flooded and surveying the water damaged inside.

Not all electricity has been restored after the power supply was cut yesterday.

Fire station manager, Gary Geoghegan, who was involved in the evacuation, said: “This was a great example of our water rescue capabilities and working closely with our partner agencies.

“Our fire rescue units carry inflatable boats, which proved invaluable to evacuate residents from the flooded street.”