Team sent to deal with ‘beyond ridiculous’ road

RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN CRYING OUT FOR ACTION ON THOROUGHFARE CONSTANTLY SHUT BY FLOODING

ACTION has been taken to help solve major flooding problems on a busy Derby road closed numerous times during the winter – angering drivers and elected officials.

Worried Derby councillors called the situation at Acorn Way “beyond ridiculous” in February after it was closed for a fifth time in quick succession due to wet weather – blocking many drivers from using the busy route across the city.

Acorn Way is one of Derby’s busiest roads as it connects the Morley Road and Oakwood area of the city with Spondon and Raynesway.

But as the road is technically situated outside the city boundary, its maintenance is managed by Derbyshire County Council – not Derby City Council.

Following the public concerns raised by Oakwood councillors and Mid-Derbyshire Conservative

MP candidate

Luke Gardiner, Derbyshire

County Council carried out an investigation into the road closures – which were labelled “absolutely unacceptable” – and ways in which they could be resolved.

This week when asked for an update on the situation, the county council said work had taken place to try and reduce the flooding issues. A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “Following on from concerns about flooding on Acorn Way, in March we sent a team to the area who cleared all the gullies on both sides of the road from the junction with Morley Road to the county boundary. We also cleared a blocked culvert near to where the flooding took place while on site.”

At the time of the problems, a Facebook post for the Oakwood Ward Councillors page from Mathew Eyre, Freya Trewhella and Jamie Mulhall said: “Acorn Way is once again under water. This situation is beyond ridiculous, something has to be done.

“Oakwood residents cannot continue to be impacted this way every time it rains. We will work with Luke Gardiner, Pauline Latham MP and anyone to secure the necessary works to finally stop this problem.”

Spondon councillors – Jonathan Smale, Chris Poulter and Nicola Roulstone – also “fielded multiple questions to council officers” about the problem earlier this year.

Oakwood residents cannot continue to be impacted this way every time it rains. Oakwood Ward councillors