TERRINGTON ST CLEMENT: Action vow over flooded road
This picture taken by Brian Howling of Wesley Road in January of this year.
Action has been promised to clear a blocked dyke blamed for causing persistent flooding of a road in Terrington St Clement.
The flooding in Wesley Road has led to severe potholes which have needed repeated repairs this winter.
Aubrey Rudd, of Rudd and Day Agricultural Engineers in Wesley Road, said the situation had been particularly bad this year.
He said: “What caused the problem was the rain before Christmas. We had a downpour which flooded the road and the water table was so high that it came up in my workshop. I had half an inch of water everywhere.”
Highways workmen filled up the potholes after the rain. “Then the road flooded again and all the vehicles coming through the water washed the material out of the potholes,” said Mr Rudd.
He estimated that workmen had attended four times to repair the road, most recently last week.
“They took up a good bit of the road and resurfaced it but they still haven’t sorted out the water problem. There is a dyke which our water runs into and that dyke is completely overgrown. The rain couldn’t get away,” said Mr Rudd, 80.
Even in comparatively dry conditions this week, water in the drain in the road near his premises was only four inches below the road surface.
He believed that clearing the dyke would save considerable expense. “If they do get water running away, they wouldn’t have to keep coming back and filling in the potholes and all the expense could be avoided. I shouldn’t like to be paying the bill for it,” he said.
A spokesman for Norfolk County Council said: “This has been a persistent trouble spot and we have had to make repeated visits to fill potholes and keep it safe.”
He said the underlying problem was drainage and the county council had been trying to get the blocked ditch cleared by the landowner.
Last week, the council took advantage of the recent drier spell to patch the road.
“To protect that repair and reduce the damage to the rest of the road, the council is now arranging for the ditch to be cleared as soon as possible,” he said.
The cost would be less than further damage to the road caused by the lack of drainage.
n Flooding in Wesley Road was a problem more than 100 years ago.
Local resident, Bryan Howling, has a postcard photograph taken in 1912 showing water on the road.
Mr Howling said he still believed carrying out work on the dyke would ease the current problem. “It needs cleaning out,” he said.
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Sunday 26 May 2013
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