A LOCAL ward councillor is still demanding answers over flooding issues in Runnymede Road and Ruskin Road, Stanford; an area of the borough which has suffered repeated bouts of local flooding for many years – most recently in spring 2012.
Heavy rains have regularly overwhelmed the drainage system, and caused the road to flood with rain water, with one instance of sewage being part of the flood water mix. The company responsible for the system, Anglian Water, has made noises that a fix has been put into place for this since the large sewage flood in 2009, however, since the anniversary of the last flood approaches many questions remain unanswered.
Local Conservative councillor Shane Hebb said “It’s been nearly a year since the last major rain water flood in Runnymede Road, and as yet I’m not satisfied that enough has been done to prevent a repeat occurring this year should we get another wet spring.
“Residents rightly expect better than to wake up and find their road has turned into a river. I have written again to Anglain Water asking them to confirm what steps have been taken to ensure such flooding never happens again in this area. Being told that it has ‘been sorted’ is not enough. We want to know what has been done, and why these improvements have resolved the issue and I look forward to Anglian Water’s response”
Perhaps he should write to Thurrock Council and ask that their contractors, when cutting down and chipping undergrowth in the park, remember to sweep up after them and not allow large quantities of wood chippings to remain on the ground so when it rains it doesn’t get swept into the local drainage system blocking them up and also come autumn that the Council ensures the pavements and gutters are regularly swept of fallen leaves so they don’t block the gullies and drainage system contributing to the flooding.
Mr hebb will need plenty of answers himself as the local conservative representative once all those houses are built on st cleres. I just hope the extra sewage that will created by that development and the one at behind Victoria road won’t be enough to flood those poor people out along runnymede road. Still that’s what you get with these Tories, they say one thing and do another.