August 18, 2022 11.15 am This story is over 19 months old

Drains in flood-hit Market Rasen ‘not suitable anymore’

“Even half of that rainfall would have been a problem”
Streets were flooded by a sudden downpour in August | Photo: Market Rasen Action Group

Market Rasen’s drains need to be upgraded, a councillor has said as an investigation gets underway into the unprecedented flooding.

The devastating storm on Tuesday flooded houses and businesses, and left cars marooned in waist-high water.

A review will be held into the cause of the flooding to see if it can be prevented in the future.

Lincolnshire Couny Councillor Stephen Bunney said that the town’s infrastructure needed to be upgraded accommodate the bigger population.

“On Tuesday night, it was quite clear that the main drains through the town were not able to cope with the quantity of water that fell. There was an incredible amount of surface run off,” he said.

“It ran off into Oxford Street and other side roads, and that’s where the water started to build up.

A look at the extent of the flooding damage to the inside of Peter Rhodes electrical store. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

“The gutters down the side of the road were also not able to cope. They had recently been cleared, but sand and debris quickly gathered from the road.

“The drains will empty into the river in an emergency, but clearly they were blocked or not opening as well as they could have.

“The drains were built in the Victorian era, and from what we’ve seen, they’re not suitable for a town this size any more.

“The problem wasn’t helped by the fact the land was so dry and water was running off. It’s hard to predict how the rainwater will act.

“At Tesco, there is also a lot more tarmac than there used to be, which created more run-off there.

“It was the worst storm I have ever seen – we had three hours of very heavy rainfall. Even half that time would have been a problem.”

Flooding was extremely sudden and unpredictable in Market Rasen. | Photo: Adam Teskey

He said that residents were slowly recovering from the unexpected flooding, and thanked everyone who had provided help.

“The town is pulling together. People are obviously still upset and in shock. It will take some weeks to get back to normal,” he said.

“Fortunately, we don’t have any buildings falling down and we didn’t lose power – but that won’t be much comfort to people who have been flooded three or four times in five years.”

Section 19 reviews are always carried out in the aftermath of flooding to see what the cause was and how they can be prevented in future.

Anyone affected by the flooding who needs help can contact Councillor Bunney on 07506 188570 or [email protected].

Food banks are open at the New Life Church and Salvation Army, and other support is available at the festival hall.

Multiple homes and businesses placed sandbags outside their doors, supplied by local building merchants as emergency support. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

Lincolnshire County Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways said: “We have seen our highways resilience kick in with emergency crews working extremely hard to be most effective where best needed.

“Because we have seen such a lot of rain in a very short period of time, and especially after a prolonged stretch of dry hot weather, the nature of what we were faced with was very unpredictable.

“I’m happy to say that we reacted quickly as soon as we received reports of where roads were affected. I would like to also thank several builder’s merchants around the Market Rasen area who helped with sandbagging and really showed a terrific community spirit which is very much appreciated.

“I would also like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding whilst our work and the network’s drainage system was taking place. To have the roads back to normal in such a short period of time for the people of our county is testimony to the hard work of our crews and everyone involved in a rapid response.”