Action call on submerged streets
Highways officers investigating flooding in Melbourn
A RESIDENT is calling for action on a village’s “woeful” drainage system which leaves roads submerged after heavy rain.
Highways officers will head to Melbourn to try and solve the problem, which has seen streets in the village completely flooded in recent weeks following rain. Nigel Smith, a Melbourn resident, took this picture (left) last weekend in Greenbanks, near his home.
He said: “The drain system in Melbourn village is woeful. Every year we get flooding after heavy rain - even just one hour - and the council and highways think the only problem is cleaning the leaves out.
Mr Smith added that he believes the problems stem from over-development of the Melbourn area.
You may also want to watch:
“Planners allow lots of new development without improving the infrastructure like drains. Why do they not make it a condition for the industrial and residential developers to pay up front for improving the services that they feed into,” he said.
Mick Oakman, Cambridgeshire County Council’s area maintenance manager, said: “We’re aware of the problem in Melbourn and will be going down in the next couple of weeks to flush out the drains and see if there is a blockage which is causing the flooding. Once we’ve cleared the pipes we’ll be able to see whether there are any other problems that need to be resolved.
Most Read
- 1 New app allows passengers to order bus to virtual stops
- 2 Lack of public transport blamed for collapse of £10.5m training centre
- 3 Teacher raises more than £3,000 with charity run in mother's memory
- 4 Spitfires and more... IWM Duxford prepares for 2021 Battle of Britain Air Show
- 5 Camera to be installed in village to address long-standing speeding woes
- 6 14 Spitfires to take to the skies at IWM Duxford's 2021 Battle of Britain Air Show
- 7 Wellbeing gardens opened at Lister in memory of much-loved colleague Marilyn
- 8 Village school's annual fayre is a big hit
- 9 Mum of four sought by police over child neglect claims
- 10 Get set for Strawberries & Creem Festival in the Cambridgeshire countryside
A spokesman for South Cambridgeshire District Council, which administers planning and development for the Melbourn area, said planning permission is only granted for new buildings subject to sufficient drainage infrastructure being in place.
