Water problem in walkway
BOYN HILL: A walkway has been branded as ‘disgusting’ and a flood risk caused by blockages from a lack of street cleaning, writes Adrian Williams.
Valley Walk is a key cut-through, a substantial walkway which runs from Grenfell Road down to Kings Grove.
The pathway’s state has been criticised by neighbours who use it regularly – they claim it has become ‘a flooding joke’.
Derek Harris is one such neighbour.
He said the problem is that the streets nearby are not cleared of leaves.
As the alley slopes downhill, rain washes leaves down from Grenfell Road, blocking the drains.
“The leaves just pile up. It’s abysmal,” he said. “When you walk through Valley Walk now, it’s a mushy sludge. It’s a flooding joke.
“There’s no street cleaners anywhere.
“It’s a false economy – everyone knows it will cost even more to unblock the drains.
“It’s common sense.” Debbie Callaway lives on Boyn Valley Road, which is at the lower end of Valley Walk. She agrees that the alley is in bad shape.
“It’s full of mud and leaves and rubbish – dog poo and bottles. It’s just disgusting down there,” she said.
She added: “When we have a downpour, straight away it floods.
It’s quite deep – it goes over your shoes.
“Until the actual problem is addressed this dirty alley will never be safe to pass.”
Debbie says the council have been contacted several times about this, including a report last year.
“They all say, ‘OK, we’ll sort it,’ and nobody does.
“This must be the third year this has been going on,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Royal Borough said: “We carry out routine scheduled cleansing of public roads and footpaths across the borough and are seeking to establish if this walkway forms part of the highway network maintained by the council.
“In the meantime, we will arrange for this area to be cleared.
“Once responsibility for maintenance of this area has been established, we will ask for this to be investigated further to see if there are wider issues with the drains that need resolving.”