August 9, 2019 4.33 pm This story is over 54 months old

Villagers fed up of wading through floods every time it rains

It appears to be stemming from a blocked drain

Residents in Aubourn village near Lincoln say they are becoming increasingly frustrated by a flooding issue, which they claim has been ignored by the council for “at least 10 years”.

Dave Thompson and John Mosedale, who both live in Aubourn, said there has been a problem of flooding on Royal Oak Lane for some time and it gets especially bad during medium to heavy rainfall.

The problem appears to be stemming from a blocked drain, which residents say they have continuously reported to the council.

They claim the problem still hasn’t been solved after reporting it to the local parish council, North Kesteven District Council and Lincolnshire County Council. They said they were told to take it up with Highways at the county council.

However, according to the FixMyStreet website, the county council said it is taking immediate action on Friday, August 9.

Dave Thompson captured this photo to show the extent of the situation at around 6.30-7am on Friday, August 9.

Dave, who has lived in the village for a year and a half, told The Lincolnite that this morning the problem was ridiculous.

He said: “We have been told there is no problem, but quite clearly there is. The water is not draining away, which is not okay.

“Usually when it happens the water stays like that for a few days and residents have previously had to have sandbags outside their properties.

Photo: Dave Thompson

“The council need to check the drainage properly. Next to the part that’s being flooded there is a huge tree, which we suspect has broken the drainage underneath with its root. It needs digging up and inspecting properly.”

Dave lives on the street opposite, Chapel Lane, but as it is a one way system he still has to go through the big pools of water.

Fellow Aubourn resident John Mosedale has lived in the village since 2002 and on Royal Oak Lane for 13 years.

John said it has been going on for the last 10-15 years and in February and March 2019 it flowed into the property next to his and they had to get sandbags delivered.

In December 2018. Photo: David Stubbs

He said: “We suggested to Highways that they put a camera down the drain and do an investigation.

“We have logged fault reports with them. They say they visit, but we haven’t seen this, and we don’t think anything has been done.

From March 2018. Photo: David Stubbs

“Today is the third time this year it’s happened. When this happens the road should really be closed with a flood notice put up as traffic comes through and you see waves of water going up people’s drives, hedges and footpaths.”

A third resident David Stubbs said when he reported it most recently on July 27 he was told all necessary work had been carried out and no further action was planned.

From February 2019. Photo: David Stubbs.

Council action

Councillor Marianne Overton posted on FixMyStreet on Friday saying: “Repeat of previously reported flooding, over two years by the Parish Council, with no apparent action to date.

“Dangerous with no warning signs. Drain needs cleaning urgently and warning signs need putting up urgently.”

Screenshot from the FixMyStreet website.

The county council post back in response saying “we are taking immediate action to make this fault safe” before posting a later update that the report “has been assessed and a job for repair has been raised”.

The Local Highways Manager said: “We’ve been to site a number of times recently to investigate the problem. We now know the drain is blocked, so we are in the process of organising for a contractor to come and clear the blockage.

“As well as this, we are arranging for a full cleanse of the system to clear silt and other debris. We will keep the parish council informed of progress and a timeline of the works.”