Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Downpour floods subways in and out of city centre
Pedestrians forced to dodge ring-road traffic ‘I do often use the underpass but it’s the first time I’ve seen it flood. It needed a good wash, to be honest, so they should probably get on top of cleaning it’
Pedestrians were forced to dodge traffic on the city’s busy dual carriageway on Saturday after torrential rain caused the underpasses to flood.
The subways in Rheims Way, Upper Bridge Street, Lower Bridge Street and Pin Hill were impassable because of blocked drains.
Some passers-by also reported a strong smell of sewage.
Angus Macleod, who regularly uses the underpass by the Odeon Cinema, took a picture of one man braving the ankle-deep water in his mobility scooter.
He said: “I went up over the top across the road in between the traffic.
“I do often use the underpass but it’s the first time I’ve seen it flood. It needed a good wash, to be honest, so they should probably get on top of cleaning it.”
The underpasses have flooded in the past, with concerns raised about children trying to reach the Canterbury Academy when the London Road walkway under Rheims Way is impassable.
A spokesman for Southern Water says the flooding is not the company’s responsibility.
“Having checked our map systems we can confirm that although we have surface water sewers in these locations, we do not have any drains from either the underpasses or the road themselves, making it unlikely that this is a Southern Water issue,” she said.
She added that the company’s surface water pipe should not carry any sewage and the strong odour is likely caused by a build up of dirt and silt in the drier weather which is then flushed out during heavy rain.
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