ePetition details
Northumberland Avenue, Thornton Cleveleys - Flood defence
Our properties are at risk of being flooded again due to the
drainage not being fit for purpose - the drains do not clear the
water away effectively, the water builds up and is causing problems
for home owners.
The road is dangerous for road users due to the amount of water
which collects on the road. Shockwaves of water fill our driveways
causing issues for our access on and off and into our
properties.
This ePetition ran from 09/10/2020 to 09/11/2020 and has now finished.
60 people signed this ePetition.
Council response
Surface water drainage, including highway drainage, in the
general area of Thornton Cleveleys is very vulnerable to ditch
maintenance and to natural processes including weather conditions.
If the remote ditches are blocked or slow-flowing, rainwater will
not drain off the highways as quickly as it arrives. We are having
more frequent rainstorms as our climate changes, so there can be
times when the build-up of water in the roads causes
flooding.
The council's local highway maintenance team has checked and
re-checked the highway drainage systems around Northumberland
Avenue, and our officers are confident that the drainage for which
we are directly responsible is fit for purpose and free of any
obstructions. This means that we can't do any more to improve on
the very difficult conditions you are suffering, in the areas we
are responsible for.
Having confirmed this in regard to the highway drainage, we have
investigated further down the drainage systems, to field ditches
and the culvert to the north of Milburn Avenue. These drainage
systems carry surface water away from the Northumberland Avenue
area and under Amounderness Way. The responsibility for keeping
these drainage systems working properly sits with a complex
combination of private landowners, the Environment Agency and
Highways England.
The team found water standing in these ditches, unable to flow away
and causing a blocking-back of water to the Northumberland Avenue
area. As part of the investigations, officers unblocked a sluice by
removing a build-up of debris, which immediately released flows in
the ditches and connecting drainage systems. We believe this will
have overcome the concerns that you have raised with us.
We will continue to monitor the situation and respond again if
necessary.
With this experience, we now believe that the responsible parties
need to develop and deliver a more reliable cleansing regime for
the sluice and ditch network. With our experience and evidence, we
shall raise this with them at our next scheduled liaison meeting
(yet to be arranged but currently expected at the end of
February/early March).
We would be most grateful if you would continue to report any
highway drainage problems to us for investigation as follows:
1. Simple blocked gullies and other defects can be reported through
our on-line reporting tool here: https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/roads-parking-and-travel/reportit/
2. More complex situations can be explained in an email and sent to
us at: highways@lancashire.gov.uk
3. Emergency highway problems can be rung through to us on:
0300-123-6780 during working hours and via the police on 101 out of
hours.
I hope this advice is of help to you and your neighbours.