Redlands Liberal Democrats

Local drains and pavements in the spotlight

Residents have been in touch with us to draw our attention to the problem of blocked drains in the ward.

This picture taken by my ward colleague Cllr Glenn Goodall is of a drain at the junction with Allcroft Road and Redlands Road. As you can see it is very blocked:

 

We also noticed that some drains at the bottom end of Alexandra Road were also blocked.

This is not good news particualrly when you get bouts of heavy rain like we did yesterday.

This is not the first time that blocked drains in Redlands have been a problem.

Historically the Council has not been that diligent at keeping them clear.

We have successfully campaigned for action on this issue before particularly around the London Road area and in Bede Walk off Hexham Road (which was badly affected by surface water flooding in 2007).

Glenn has written to the Council calling for these drains to be cleared as soon as possible and requesting an inspection of drains in the London Road area.

Also, in response to a complaint from an elderly resident living on Redlands Road about the poor state of the pavement adjacent to The Rosedale Clinic we have written to officers asking for this to be looked into and rectified as soon as possible.

Drainage on London Road: action at last

One of the less glamorous campaigns I've been fighting for the past two years has been about getting the Council to sort out the drains on London Road. Problems in this area have led to water failing to drain away and puddles forming at all the junctions between the Upin Arms and the RBH.

A lot of the responsibility for this lies with Thames Water, but in the absence of any levers to pull in that direction I have been raising with the Highways team.

Basically, the problem has been one of regular 'ponding' of water at the junction of London Road with Alexandra Road, Denmark Road and De Beauvoir Road whenever it rains...

RBC officers told me this week that the drainage problems on De Beauvoir Road have been looked into  and remedial work is planned. It seems that similar problems at the Alexandra Road and Craven Road which have led to pools of water forming have been investigated and minor alterations to the road surface are planned to tackle the problem.

Hardly earth-shattering stuff, but I do hope the above will make life more pleasant for pedestrians and cyclists who regularly use London Road (and reduce the risk of being drenched by passing traffic going through large puddles!)