down the drain

[testing times]

How much of the current flooding in town is down to the routine maintenance of drains not being done any more? Preventative maintenance is often one of the first casualties of penny-pinching but it looks like we now wait for the flood before unblocking the drains. The autumn leaves are known to be a cause of blockages every year yet it seems to be the same areas which flood every time there's a prolonged period of rain or heavy rainfall.

[mk1]

I urge anyone who believes heavy rain is just 'a little bit of water' to go to the Burn Valley after a downpour.  The beck is like a raging torrent and I have seen the water completely filling the place. It is fortunate it lies in a small dip and does not reach Colwyn Road. There is a tunnel from the Burn Valley to Newburn that takes this water away and up to the late 19th century you had to use a bridge to cross this waterway to get to Starnton. Hartlepool is low lying and will always have flooding problems. It always amazes me how thin is the 'neck' of land connecting old Hartlepool with west. I am sure a good storm could breach it and we will also have to  plug Brus Tunnel to save West!

[the_exile]

Can I sense a C.I.C Company in the offing Cranney's Flood Consultancy.

Instead of sandbags he will pile old mattresses to form a wall of flood defences.

The Council can then pay him squillions every winter to SAVE the town, because after all he is a super hero.

[Johnny Bongo]

According to  one of the staff who clean the drains, HBC only have one gully sucker. Makes sense in the 'summer' months when it's relatively dry but in the other eight months this service is desperately needed.  Is it possible for HBC to re-allocate staff that are otherwise 'underused' in the winter, ie, the gardening staff, or are they already used in some other role?  Having said that, I noticed that the Burn Valley beck, where the water goes under York Rd, etc, was being cleaned, with (I think) a JCB.  the staff seemed to be there for several days.   

[steveL]

The drain on the asda exit near burger king blocks every time it rains more than 3 drops

[Alnwickist]

    Burn Valley is the main drain from West Park, so you can see the looming problem of building all those houses. It's also the over flow from the lake in WJP.

    Another huge fail by Wells and Co.

[crisstw]

    Burn Valley is the main drain from West Park, so you can see the looming problem of building all those houses. It's also the over flow from the lake in WJP.

    Another huge fail by Wells and Co.

It's not a fail if they're not bothered

[Alnwickist]

   I have asked the question, who is responsible if the new builds cause flooding  to older properties in Valley Drive?.

   Would it be the developer, HBC or the home owners?.

   Taking into account that it is a known flood area, passing planning permission by HBC could  maybe classed as   negligent or criminal ?.