Drainage problem brings cost-cutting into question
Questions are being asked about the efficiency of a council scheme to cut costs on drain maintenance as concerns about potential flooding are raised.
Brian Clark, a county councillor for Maidstone’s south division, spoke at a meeting of Tovil Parish Council on Monday.
He reported several drains in the area have become blocked and 10 of these could be found in one road – Albert Reed Gardens.
The road lies at the foot of Farleigh Hill, close to the Loose Stream, which runs through Tovil on its way to the River Medway.
Kent County Council (KCC) is responsible for drainage on highways. Through a change introduced 18 months ago, the authority agreed it would carry out maintenance on main A-road and central routes between towns on a yearly basis.
Roads deemed to be “particularly vulnerable to flooding” are maintained every six months.
But more minor roads, such as Albert Reed Gardens, are only cleared if a complaint is made, or an issue reported, and the council aims to do this within 28 days.
A KCC spokesman said the last reported blockage on that road was on July 24 last year, and the drains were cleared on August 18, 2015.
He continued: “Since this cleansing was completed, we have received no other reports of blocked drains or flooding.”
But Cllr Clark said he complained to KCC on July 4 this year, and after a recent visit to the cul-de-sac, he updated the ticket to say the problem had not been resolved. He also contacted KCC’s highways manager for drainage to repeat his concerns.
This means KCC has not met its 28-day target and there are concerns roads could experience flooding if the drains cannot cope with heavy rain.
Paul Wilby, chairman of Tovil Parish Council, is worried about rain and the fact several natural springs have been reported in the area.
He said: “At the moment there isn’t a flooding problem, but due to the number of blockages in the area there is serious potential for floods to occur.”