Drains and gullies should be kept clear to reduce the risk and frequency of flooding, according to a Conservative councillor.
Anne Meadows represents Patcham and Hollingbury, parts of which have long been prone to flooding and where waste water was filmed bubbling up in the street in recent months.
She believes that flooding has been made worse by drains and gullies that Brighton and Hove City Council is failing to clear properly.
And she plans to raise the problem at a meeting of the full council on Thursday (14 December).
The problem was the subject of a question by Hove resident Nigel Furness at the last meeting of the full council in October.
Mr Furness said that the council used to use machines known as “gulley suckers” routinely to clear the drains so that water ran off the roads efficiently during heavy downpours.
But gullies overgrown with weeds and blocked with the seasonal leaf-fall, combined with another wetter than usual autumn, have led to a significant number of surface floods.
As well as the usual risks linked to flooding, a number of drivers and cyclists have reported that the build up of surface water has hidden hundreds of potholes.
This has created an additional layer of hazards, led to some vehicle damage and placed drivers, cyclists and pedestrians at extra risk of injury.
Another Conservative councillor, Samer Bagaeen, plans to highlight similar problems in his own ward, Westdene and Hove Park.
Parked cars were blamed for missed gully and drain clearances in Nevill Close in September 2021 and March this year, with the next clearance not due until September next year.
Councillor Bagaeen said: “Winter maintenance teams require full access to the gullies in order for them to be able to open the lid and use cleaning equipment.
“But they are unable to offer ad-hoc cleansing unless there is a direct safety issue and unable to put in place ‘no parking’ orders ahead of gully cleaning.
“We are calling for an officer report to offer benchmarking with other local highway authorities in comparable cities and for the powers to erect notices in residential areas in advance of the gully emptying and cleaning works.”
This would, he said, “improve communication and reduce the risk of vehicles blocking access to the gullies”.
The text of the proposed motion said: “Blocked gullies and drains are leading to significant flooding issues within our communities when there is heavy rainfall and that this is causing great difficulty for many residents.
“The inability for temporary parking restrictions in roads where gullies and drains are due to be cleared or the moving of vehicles parked over gullies and drains leads to them not being cleared for years at a time.
“There are far too many blocked drains and gullies, with around 800 identified across Brighton and Hove in 2022.”
The motion is due to be debated at the full council meeting at Hove Town Hall on Thursday (14 December). The meeting is scheduled to start at 4.30pm and to be webcast on the council’s website.
I’m not sure there’s much to debate. Just get on and clear the drains.
Except they can’t clean them if they can’t get access to them
Excuses Excuses Excuses……..
Probably because every halfwit in patcham has concreted over their gardens
This is what happens when the council is tight on budget. They got themselves to blame for the fact they are blocked. The machines and firms are there but if they want to save pennies this is the result.
If the council can’t do it get a third party contractor in that will probably do it faster then the councils decision making
Not clearing the drains and gulleys serves two purposes for our council.
1. It saves money
2. They can blame the climate for the flooding and extort even more climate taxes out of us.
If the council issued a schedule for drain clearance I’m sure residents would willingly leave those areas clear on appropriate days.
That’s not unreasonable. Sounds like that is the plan basically here, to enable roads to remain clear for that kind of work to happen.
In my experience, unless it is enforced, people will park there for reasons of trepidation or benign nonrealisation!
God man! What the hell are you on about?!
Example. Parking at St Marks.
See the parking outside St Marks for an example.
Meanwhile on the Council’s Twitter account they say..
‘heavier rainfall due to climate change increases flood risk’.
No mention , of course, that they are not capable of co-ordinating a leaf sweeping program . You couldn’t make it up!
What a bunch of inept cretins
Oh – so it’s climate change causing the flooding!
Nothing to do with the fact that BHCC don’t bother to sweep up the leaves! On multiple occasions in the last week, there been a huge lake on the southbound A23 at the bottom of Preston Park. Nothing to do with climate change – just the fact the drains are blocked with leaves. I would have thought immediate remedial action would have been in order since the flooding blocks the route for cyclists!
Once they have over played climate change as the cause, they can fall back on Covid and Brexit. When the truth is they simply need to get on and clean up the drains……probably need two dozen committee meetings first.
I don’t recall Mrs Meadows calling for this when she was a ‘senior’ Labour Councillor nor indeed when she turned to become a ‘senior’ Tory Councillor and when in power. NOW in opposition she has changed her mind and wants something different. Opportunist?
And of they find they need to replace or get extra equipment she’ll vote against it!
It’s no surprise that the same gullies get blocked with leaves every year, it’s not rocket science. Would it be that much to ask for any householder with a road gully outside their property to keep it clear of leaves? We know all Councils are short of funds, so just a little bit of community spirit and common sense might just help?
I think that is an excellent point. I do the gardening outside my block of flats. I could easily fob it off as the council’s job, but I like to do my part for my neighbourhood, and I have a bit of personal pride about my place.
What if the householder is disabled or elderly? Then it might well be too much to ask…
Also, where do people get rid of the leaves if they are not paying for the brown bin service, perhaps the council could offer those for free in exchange for taxpayers doing the councils job that they are already paying them for?
I wonder if there is a health and safety risk of the general public trying to clear drains that should be professionally cleaned… If the council ask people to do this I wonder if the legal costs of any accidents or injuries might negate the money they save from penny pinching.
Hilarious. The council needs to focus on clearing the roads of leaves especially now most of the leaves have fallen and use a truck with one of those hoover suction with a person using to clear leaves in roads and on pavements instead one just driving up and down like the father Christmas bus because they can’t get along properly because of parked cars