Residents clear flooded drains

Residents of a property in Whaplode took matters into their own hands after their road flooded and water threatened their property.

Despite calling Lincolnshire County Council to report the problem, there was no help on the horizon following the flood at Stockwell Gate West.
The rising water threatened to spread to the garden of the home of Richard Hicks and his family.
The county council said a ‘temporary solution’ was found, but it only put out ‘flooded road’ signs, with no sign of work starting.
“I couldn’t just sit there and wait for the water to come up the driveway. We grabbed a shovel, found the storm drain grid covered in mud and started work,” said Mr Hicks.
Using a pump and digging out the drain, and uncovering a manhole accessing the storm drain, Mr Hicks managed to clear the road.
“The water was not going anywhere unless someone actually worked to make it happen. We know the roads get muddy in an agricultural area, but the drains were totally blocked,” he added.
By cleaning the drain, redigging the road edge gulley and pumping the water away, the road is no longer flooded.
“There’s been a flood at Spalding Gate since before Christmas and the signs are still there, in the water,” added Mr Hicks.
Richard Fenwick, head of highways asset and local management services, said the initial report had been ‘mis-labelled’.
“Signs are set out as a matter of urgency to ensure the safety of anyone using the road. Unfortunately, due to the volume off reports we received during extreme weather, it’s a challenge to do anything butt warn of the issue in the first instance,”he added.
The council had 61 flood-related enquiries across the county last Friday (Feb 9).
Mr Fenwick added that Stockwell Gate is cleaned annually as part of the councils maintenance scheme.