Flooding warning to Shropshire Council

The Liberal Democrats is calling on Shropshire Council to rethink how it acts regarding severe flooding.

Stormy weather during the past few months has caused treacherous conditions on the roads, with many homes and businesses becoming flooded.

Councillor Rob Wilson, the Lib Dem shadow cabinet member for environment, climate and transport, said that it should be an urgent warning for the council.

“These weather events are going to keep happening, and the council needs to change its approach to limit the impact on residents,” said Cllr Wilson.

“Cutbacks mean that fallen leaves are not being swept as often as they might once have been, causing drain covers to be blocked, stopping water from entering the sewage system.

“Residents have told me that they often clear leaves themselves, but with the new green bin charge they are less likely to do so in the future.

“Planning policies need to be strengthened to make surfaces more porous, more tarmac driveways and paved gardens increase runoff. The council should be removing non-porous surfaces across its own estate as much as possible and be using its social media presence to lead the debate.

“All new road schemes should consider rainwater gardens which store excess water and slow the speed at which it enters the drainage system. Severn Trent and Shropshire Council should publish when all drains were last cleaned and maintained so residents can have confidence that they are in full working order.

“We can’t wait for the River Severn Partnership, or Severn Valley Water Management Scheme, to spend years writing extensive reports before taking action. There are solutions that can be implemented now.”

Shropshire Council say highway drainage systems are only designed to drain the hardstanding area of the highway and have limited capacity. Therefore, they will not be able to deal with additional runoff from the land during storms.

“Our priority during such events is to protect properties from internal flooding, which can be exacerbated by vehicles creating bow waves in floodwater,” said Councillor Ian Nellins, deputy leader of Shropshire Council and cabinet member for climate change, environment and transport.

“Additionally, Shropshire Council must prioritise its resources, in particularly in these challenging times, focusing first on A and B roads, hence some minor roads may not be cleared until resources become available.

“We strongly advise that drivers should exercise caution, avoid deep water, and consider the necessity of their journey.”