Eastleigh MP David Chidgey says he has tracked down a "route to justice" for local residents denied compensation for flood damage.

He said householders across his constituency had come to him with horror stories of homes being contaminated and belongings ruined by foul sewage flooding their properties.

And he added: "In Bishopstoke, Botley and Hedge End, complaints have been mounting over the tardy and often inadequate reaction to their plight.

"Residents tell me that after an initial 'clean-up', little, if anything, is being done to solve their drainage problems. All too often they suffer all over again when the next bout of heavy rain arrives.

"To make matters worse, residents often have to haggle for compensation to make good the damage - and many are now being refused insurance cover."

Mr Chidgey said under UK law, water companies apparently had only a limited liability.

But in liaison with Eastleigh council officers he had uncovered a potential route for redress.

He explained: "Recently, a UK water company was found liable in the European Court of Human Rights for breaching a customer's civil rights and human freedoms.

"This important precedent could open the way for many people to hold water companies to account in law for flood damage."

The Eastleigh MP said he was obtaining guidance from the House of Commons about how local people could use the European Court of Human Rights to pursue claims for damage caused by flooding.

But a Southern Water spokesman told the Daily Echo: "According to our records we have-n't had any internal floodings in the Bishopstoke, Botley and Hedge End areas.

"If it is garden flooding then, yes, we would have had a spate over Christmas and the New Year period with the heavy rainfall - and we would have prioritised to send our crews to internal flooding first and then garden flooding afterwards."

The spokesman added that Southern Water was "reasonably confident" that it provided a good service and therefore would not be in the same league as the case which was taken to the European Court of Human Rights.

He added: "We don't have an enormous number of complaints in this area at all and we think our response is adequate."

But he confirmed that Southern Water crews were busy dealing with the very high ground water levels being experienced, particularly in Hampshire where the north of the county had been hardest hit.

"We have a significant number of locations where ground water levels are higher than they have ever been before. We are dealing with a very large number of incidents and we are prioritising them.

"In the majority of cases this is occurring simply because the sewers are being inundated with flood water rather than breakdowns.

"We are doing our best. All the drainage crews are out way above their normal hours at the moment trying to stem the tide."