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21
Feb 2022
Plea for better drains after Pateley Bridge floods again
Businesses and residents are calling for the drains to be improved in Pateley Bridge after the town flooded again yesterday.
Pateley has flooded frequently in recent years and the bottom of High Street was under water again in the early hours of Sunday.
Fortunately the water subsided quickly after Lee Chandler, co-owner of the Spar shop on High Street, went out in the dark with rods to unblock the drains.
Many people blame the state of the drains for not the problem. They say the drains are not cleaned often enough and therefore don't remove water that comes down the hill fast enough, leaving shops at the bottom of High Street vulnerable.
Firefighters help out yesterday.
The increased regularity of floods has led to calls for action.
Andrew Weatherhead, owner of butchers H Weatherhead and Sons, plans to install flood doors at the front and back of his shop after water got into the premises for the second time in a year. The shop closed yesterday but has reopened today.
He said:
Elizabeth Chandler, co-owner of the Spar shop, said her husband Lee often unblocked the drains and the problem was compounded yesterday by a lack of sandbags distributed.
Unblocking the drains yesterday.
Mr Chandler began tackling the flooding at 5am. It had cleared by about 7.30am and then he and his wife helped the clean-up operation on Greenwood Road, which had also flooded. They finally got home at 8pm only to notice the roof of their home was leaking.
Ms Chandler agreed to the state of the drains needed addressing — a sentiment echoed by many residents on Facebook groups in the area.
Read more:
- Owner of Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant opens Pateley Bridge takeaway
- Knaresborough cafe owner speaks of flood devastation
Stanley Lumley, a Conservative councillor who represents Pateley Bridge on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, told the Stray Ferret that there was a problem with the drains in the town, which along with snow meltwater and torrential rain caused a "perfect storm".
Cllr Lumley, who took part in yesterday's emergency response, added:
Cllr Lumley praised the town's emergency response, adding:
'Flooding due to volume of water'
Melisa Burnham, the council's highways manager for the Harrogate area, said the amount of rainfall was the key issue. She said:
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