Homeowner lives in fear of the rain next to the A38
HE SAYS HIS HOME IS AT RISK OF FLOODING BECAUSE DRAINS HAVE NOT BEEN UNBLOCKED DESPITE NEARBY WORK
A HOMEOWNER living right next to the A38 fears his home will flood again as four nearby drains are blocked.
Keith Stride has seen thousands of pounds of damage as his home has been flooded three times over the last 20 years and he fears it will happen again every time it rains.
He lives along the busy dual carriageway near to the exit for Branston Water Park and over the last few weeks National Highways has been carrying out work to clear and fix the drains along the road.
The A38 service road, also known as Lichfield Road along this section, has been closed overnight while drainage maintenance is carried out.
However, Mr Stride said that the four drains near to the Leavesley Container Base and Branston Water Park have not been cleared and each time it rains they are rapidly filling up with water. He has seen workers going up and down attending to the other drains but he says that these four have been left.
When these drains overflow, the water floods onto the first lane of the A38 at the Branston exit, he says. In the past, the water has flooded the nearby houses and businesses.
The 79-year-old said: “The four drains near Leavesley have not been touched and they are backing up from there up the road. I have seen the workmen go up and down the road and they have been clearing the drains but not those four.
“We are worried that they are not clearing the drains. Those four drains are still full and every time it rains they start filling up and overflowing. We are scared our homes will flood again.”
Mr Stride lives in one of the homes which were badly hit when the A38 flooded in 2020. But this was not the first time the water had poured into his property causing major damage and misery. It also happened back in 2000 and then again in 2007. Each time his home has been left needing thousands of pounds’ worth of repairs.
In 2020 the A38 had to close for days after being submerged by flood water near where Mr Stride lives. He was one of many residents who found their homes had flooded as a result.
National Highways route manager David East said: “We’re working on the entire drainage system at this location, clearing silt from the pipework underneath the road on both sides of the carriageway and service roads to help prevent flooding at this location in the future. This will continue for the next few weeks. There may still be issues during heavy rainfall in the meantime, which we’re working hard to alleviate.
“If anyone would like to report blocked drains or any other safety concern our customer contact centre team can be contacted 24/7 on 0300 123 5000.”