Human error has been blamed for failing to protect homes and businesses from devastating flooding, it has emerged.

Sewage-infested floodwater surged into up to 40 firms and a dozen homes in Hastings town centre following an overnight downpour last month.

It left residents and business owners facing repair bills running into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

It later emerged pumps at a Southern Water-run pumping station in Hastings failed to operate properly during the rainfall.

Alarms that sound when water levels at the station rise were not responded to quickly enough by staff, the company said.

And it said emergency procedures, which should have been followed to start the pumps working, were not carried out.

Parts of the town centre in and around the Priory Meadow shopping centre had up to 4ft of floodwater passing through.

Southern Water yesterday apologised to residents and shopkeepers and said it would help them quickly.

It suggested customers should contact their own insurance company, which would liaise with Southern Water's own loss adjusters.

Andy Watson, Southern Water's director of operations, said: "We sincerely apologise to all the residents and shopkeepers in the area who were affected by this extremely regrettable and unacceptable incident.

"I would like to assure all our customers we are carrying out a detailed review of operating procedures at Coombs Pumping Station to ensure such an incident is not repeated.

"We have visited all our customers who have been affected and are advising them to contact their own insurance company, who will then liaise directly with our own loss adjusters so we can resolve the situation as quickly as possible."

Many residents and businesses have been angered by the damage caused to their properties and have called on Southern Water to foot their repair bills.

Pratibha Paleja, 49, who runs a newsagent in Station Road, said: "We are still trying to tidy up but there is so much to do.

We've noticed that since this has happened, business has been a lot quieter.

"I wonder whether people are being put off from coming here because of the smell or whether they think we are closed. Either way, it is not good.

"We have had the heater on to dry things out and we have used detergent thoroughly to try to get rid of the smell. But it still stinks.

"We don't yet know how much all the damage is going to cost but maybe it will be £10,000.

We have to replace so many things."

Hastings and Rye Labour MP Michael Foster said: "It clearly should not have happened but I do very much welcome the acceptance of responsibility on the part of Southern Water.

"More important still is the promise that a higher level of surveillance will be put in place to avoid the possibility of this happening again."