Dead rats and dirty nappies washed up on a flooded Wallsend street after the North East was hammered by dramatic downpours.
Flash floods, hail and thunderstorms caused havoc on Monday afternoon as the region was battered by sudden showers, causing the drains to spill over.
One horrified mum described the "manky" scenes she discovered when she was confronted with a sea of dead rodents and sewage. shortly after the school run
"It looks like there's a decontaminated nappy there, with debris, and three dead rats that are getting squished and squished every time a car passes," said Kelly Kerr, who discovered the "huge" rodents at the junction of West Farm Road and McNamara Road.
However pictures have been passed to ChronicleLive from several horrified locals, all appalled at the grim after the drain lids popped off.
And Kelly, who owns local business Kelly's Cakes, added: "You just can't put it into words how disgusting it it.
"If one of the kids touches (the rats), you no idea what they will have."
Monday's gloomy conditions may just be the start of a woeful week for weather in the North East.
Torrential downpours are forecast, as is more hail with long spells of rain on the horizon.
A spokesperson for Northumbrian Water said: “The majority of our sewer network is combined and takes both foul water and surface water, such as rain, away from streets and roads.
"Bouts of heavy rain, particularly when they come on suddenly, can at times cause some of the combined sewers to overfill, as has been the case today
“We are very sorry that this has happened, and we apologise to anyone who has been affected. We would also like to thank the public for highlighting the issue.
“We are sending crews to inspect and investigate the spillages and carry out any necessary clean-ups as soon as we can
“As you would understand, we have received a significant number of calls over the past few hours during the sudden downpours, and our phone lines are incredibly busy.
"Instead, our customers can get in touch with us on social media at @nwater_care on Twitter or Northumbrian Water on Facebook.”
