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23
Sept
Knaresborough resident calls for action on blocked gullies after weekend rain
A Knaresborough resident has criticised North Yorkshire Council as “unresponsive” for failing to tackle blocked drains in the town.
The resident, who declined to be named, was responding to our article last week about a council report, which found that an upgrade to Knaresborough’s drainage network following a devastating flood in the town last year would require legislative change and would therefore “not be realistic”.
The report will be discussed by the council's Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee meeting this Thursday (September 25).
The resident sent us photos of various blocked gullies in Knaresborough taken on Sunday after a spell of persistent rain to highlight the issue.
He told us:
I’ve been a Knaresborough resident for eight years, and I’ve tried to do my bit to draw the council’s attention to these things, but it just doesn’t work. So I thought that a few pictures in the Stray Ferret might make some difference.
We get constant flooding on Bond End, and it makes the pavement impassable. From the corner of Appleby Avenue right along Ripley Road to Bond End, I’d guess that at least half the drains are blocked. I’ve asked for one particular gully to be looked at three or four times in as many years, but nothing’s happened. It’s been going on for years, but the situation never improves.
The Knaresborough resident sent us photos of various blocked gullies near his home.
The council’s report was commissioned after more than 50 homes and businesses were affected by flash flooding in May last year, leading to some people being forced to find emergency accommodation.
The council said at the time that the flooding was “not related to the condition of the drains”.
The report published last week supports that view.
The council’s investigation into last year’s flooding found that the council’s highways team responded to 422 gullies in the immediate aftermath of the storm and found that 43 required follow-up investigation.
Some were found to be “blinded”, or blocked, but these were cleared.
The investigation found that concerns over “non-operational” gullies in the town "cannot be ruled as a clear reason for the flooding or that the flooding was amplified”.
The Knaresborough resident we spoke to said the council’s findings were to be expected. He said:
I'm not surprised, because in all my dealings with the council to keep the streetlights lit, the gullies clear, and various other basic things the council should be doing, it’s been an uphill battle – they're quite unresponsive.
I’d rather they sent people round to unblock the drains rather than produce these reports.
The Stray Ferret has contacted the council for comment.
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