SIX months on from the worst floods in living memory which saw more than 60 homes and businesses in Corbridge evacuated, residents are continuing to pick up the pieces – with some finding unique ways to avoid future devastation.

Among them are Paul and Nicola Hobrough, of The Stanners, who have been given permission from planners to raise the home they were forced out of just weeks before Christmas by an impressive 2.6m.

The ambitious £140,000 project has only been done before in the south of the country and will see the ground floor sacrificed to flood water while the rest of the house is lifted above the Tyne flood level.

To achieve this, holes will be drilled around the base of the structure and a steel lattice inserted for support. Hydraulic jacks will then lift and keep the house suspended while the brick work is built up from ground level to meet the new height.

Neal Cavanagh, managing director of Hedley on the Hill-based Labourn Construction, will be leading the build which will require a team of 15 to 20 men on site.

An entrance lobby will be the only habitable ground floor space, with plans to use the rest for gym equipment or car parking – items which can be easily moved in the event of a flood alert.

Nicola, who is mum to Harriet, 12, Archie, eight, and five-year-old Brodie, said: “It is quite a radical thing to do but after researching the options, I feel like this is the only way forward.”

The family, including their pet parrot, fled their home of four years on December 5 when it became clear that nearby flood defences would be breached.

More than 5ft of water swept through their home and from rented accommodation on Leazes Lane in the village, Nicola spent the Christmas holidays researching flood defence methods.

“I found a man in Berkshire who has done this and he spoke to me at length on the phone about how it was carried out and what to expect,” she said.

A specialist jacking company called Hydra-Capsule, based in Worcestershire, will help with the project.

“I definitely had a good few weeks of tears, but now I have realised that we can rebuild our lives, and it’s now all about being positive and moving forward,” said Nicola.

If the schedule of work goes to plan, the house will be raised on jacks within the next four to five weeks and the family hope to be able to return to their refurbished home by October.

On December 4 and 5, 223 properties in the Tyne Valley flooded during Storm Desmond, with a further 29 flooded by surface water.

A further six flooded during Storm Eva on Boxing Day, while 27 properties flooded during Storm Frank in January.