Councillor Routley
asked:
Leader and Cabinet member throughout
Newport and indeed all of Wales, we are experiencing what people
are calling biblical flooding episodes. These are not isolated
100-year events, but recurring floods happening annually and even
more frequently throughout the year.
Throughout the ward of Bishton and
Langstone, we have suffered severe damages.
Our rural lanes and roads are only
periodically cleaned, which isn't enough. We are pleading for more
intensive cleansing efforts, especially focused on the removal of
all debris. This debris has been clogging our drainage systems and
exacerbating the flooding.
Simply put, even if our highway
drainage systems are in good shape, they won't function properly if
the debris from our rural lanes and highways isn't promptly
removed. This accumulation blocks the drains, leading to the very
floods we're determined to prevent.
Could we implement extra services to
ensure our highways and byways are cleaned and maintained to a
higher standard? Doing so would significantly reduce the risk of
blocked drains and assist in mitigating further flooding.
I understand the bigger picture of
flood prevention however we desperately need your help today so we
can protect our homes for tomorrow.
Councillor Forsey
responded:
Rural lanes and roads in Langstone
are cleaned periodically to remove any debris. This operation to
clean the lanes and roads and to remove the debris involves
significant planning and consideration in order to minimise
disruption to residents as much as possible. Traffic management and
lane/road closures are required. With this in mind, the current
schedule aims for 3-4 visits per year with the next scheduled clean
taking place by mid-December.
As is common in many other places
throughout Wales, the main issues observed in these lanes comes
when the level of the fields are higher than the roads. Excess
surface water from heavy rainfall runs off the fields and into the
rural lanes.
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