No end in sight for subway flooding

No solution in sight to long-running issue

There appears to be no solution in sight for a long-running flooding issue in an underpass.

The riverside subway which links Newtown to Asda has flooded every winter for a number of years, making the route almost impassable.

If trying to get to the supermarket, the only alternative to the six-metre crossing is to walk around the Designer Outlet - a diversion of almost a mile.

Homeowners have now spoken out in an attempt to resolve the inconvenience, raising fears the flooding could cause injury.

Newtown resident Charli Wilson said: “I got the bus with my children to take them to their school, East Stour Primary.

“I walked to the underpass and saw it was flooded, so I had to walk all the way around with five very cold, wet children.

“When we finally arrived, they had to be provided with whole new uniforms.

“It’s an inconvenience parents and children shouldn’t be subjected to.”

Another Newtown resident said: “I dropped my kid in it trying to get home - it makes us late for school run and you have no choice but to wade through it.

“I sat all day at work trying to dry my shoes just to walk through nearly knee-high water on the way home from work.”

Some solutions have been suggested, including extending the wall bordering the Stour or reinstating a foot crossing further along the train track.

Kent County Council, which is responsible for the underpass, says there is no viable solution.

A spokesman said: “Due to the location we are unable to get a tanker to drain the footpath as access is restricted.

“As the cause of the flooding is from the stream there is no viable option that allows us to remove the water from the footpath, as while the river level remains high, this will continue to flood back onto the footpath.

“An extension of the wall, which is not owned by KCC, has been considered, but by extending it we would also need to discharge any surface water collecting on the footpath and a drainage pipe would need to connect into the stream.

“There is then a risk that the pipe could flood back through it and flood the footpath when water levels rise in the river.

“The footpath is the low point and therefore surface water will continue to collect here, even if the wall is extended or additional drainage installed.

“As it is under the Network Rail bridge, it is also not possible for us adjust the height because of the restricted headroom.”

Water stays in the underpass long after the rain stops - and has done for years

People have tried to cross the water via the wall