A 'GUTTED' Port man has told how his car was engulfed by 'raw sewage' from a burst drain — just weeks after he'd paid the vehicle off.

Christopher Johnstone was at his aunt's funeral when neighbours called to tell him that his Vauxhall Corsa had been swamped with stinking water.

Now he's out of pocket to the tune of thousands of pounds despite an insurance pay-out — and has had to take out a fresh hire purchase plan on another car.

Christopher, 33 — who fell victim to the recent extreme weather which saw a month's worth of rain fall on Inverclyde in a single day — told the Telegraph: “We were up at my aunt’s funeral and when we were there the neighbours called to tell us the car was being flooded.

"I was so gutted.

“We were miles away so there wasn’t anything we could do.

“It made me feel even worse at the funeral knowing that was happening. It was hard.

“I just paid it off about eight weeks ago and I thought that was going to be my car for quite some time.

“Seeing that happen to it was gutting. It didn’t have much mileage on it either so it was good as new."

Christopher added: “I didn’t get the full amount for the insurance and now I’ve got to try pay off a new car too.

“It’ll end up running into the thousands cost-wise."

He believes that the damage car, which he'd parked at his parents' home on the Port's Bay Street, could have been prevented if gutters had been cleaned before the monsoon-like downpour.

Christopher said: “I think if something had been done with the drains ahead of time that could have helped.”

READ MORE: Greenock mum raises £12k from walk while battling cancer

Now his mum, Frances, 57, fears her home could meet the same fate as Christopher’s car if action isn't taken to address persistent flooding issues on the street.

Greenock Telegraph: Port Glasgow man whose car was destroyed in recent flooding calls for action to address clogged

Frances said: “We just couldn’t believe it, my son was shocked.

“We’ve never had anything as bad as that, it was really bad.

“It was like sewer water, not just the rain or high tide. Whatever was in the drain was spat back up.

“When we came back from the funeral the car was underwater, it went right over the seats.

“There was no way to get that cleaned, it was sewerage water and it would always have had that rotten smell.

“It’s a health risk too."

Frances added: “Our neighbours were great, and they really helped us out, but there wasn’t much they could do.”

Greenock Telegraph: Port Glasgow man whose car was destroyed in recent flooding calls for action to address clogged

Christopher and his family were not the only Bay Street residents affected by the floods.

Tenants from the neighbouring Gourock Ropeworks building were left without running water for a week after their building’s supply system was damaged.

Frances said: “If the people responsible for the drains had a look at all the areas where it floods and cleared out the drains beforehand it would help.

“When they know the leaves are falling off the trees they should come out to the areas where it gets flooded and clear up.

“I’m worried in case we end up getting flooded in the house and I’m worried about the Clyde too. You just don’t know with the extreme weather we’re getting.

“But they should clear these drains to see if it helps.”

Greenock Telegraph: Port Glasgow man whose car was destroyed in recent flooding calls for action to address clogged

An Inverclyde Council spokesperson said: “Inverclyde along with many other areas across Scotland experienced flooding issues during the recent extreme weather event with around a month’s worth of rain in a matter of hours, those conditions overwhelmed localised drainage systems which resulted in numerous flooding incidents.

“We carry out an annual programme of gully cleaning throughout the roads network and will continue to deploy resources to clear floods during these difficult weather conditions.”