Flooding ‘is so bad you will need a gondola’
FLOODING problems plaguing a busy Burton road are so bad residents will need a gondola during rainy spells, it has been claimed.
Barry Martin, who heads campaign group The Friends of the Burton Trent Bridge, has already pushed for repairs to the historic crossing to clear blocked drains, and is now targeting Horninglow Road.
As rain began to fall last Wednesday, Mr Martin captured images of water flowing along the road. He claims clogged drains have been an issue there for years, causing large pools of water to appear.
He said: “It’s the first drop of rain and in Horninglow Road you’ll be needing a gondola. The drains are flooded. We got the Trent bridge sorted and now I want to start a campaign as something needs to be done with Horninglow Road.
“The whole road is full of water. This has been an ongoing issue, I’m sure businesses will be losing out on this with the dirty drain water flowing.
“It’s been an issue for a long, long time. You might as well get a lift off Noah in this state.”
But Helen Fisher, who is the cabinet support member for highways and transport at Staffordshire County Council, insisted checks were constantly under way to empty gullies.
She said: “Our gully emptiers are working full-time across the entire highway network maintaining over 150,000 gullies. If there are problems during times of heavy rain we will prioritise those areas where private property is affected or flooding presents a hazard to the road user.
“Our teams will be looking at when the gullies were last emptied and any work required will be scheduled in as appropriate.”
Anybody who would like to report a highways issue to Staffordshire County Council can do so by visiting www. staffordshire.gov.uk.