Flooding in Newcastle-under-Lyme
I've written to Staffordshire County Council following the inclement weather causing flooding across Newcastle-under-Lyme today.
Read the full text of the letter
Dear Leader,
Re: Roadworks on Friarswood Road
I write to you from a very wet and stormy Newcastle-under-Lyme.
The heavy rain, and storm that brought it, has been forecast for the last several days and yet that rain, and the subsequent flooding, has hit our town hard over the last few hours.
I have had reports from local people of flooding incidents right across our community and I have seen them for myself as I have been out and about today.
Those reports have included closed roads, parents unable to get to school to collect their children, emergency vehicles unable to pass through blocked roads and businesses – once again – losing their customers. It is compounded by the situation on Brook Lane that I raised with you earlier this week. I should also say that this flooding has had a terrible impact on public transport and the bus network too.
I have written to Staffordshire County Council on a number of occasions about flooding preparedness and how to mitigate the effects of weather like this. I am, of course, aware that Staffordshire County Council is not responsible for the weather, but it is responsible, in part, for keeping local people safe from the worst effects of that very same weather.
There is a very clear feeling in our community that the drains are simply not being maintained. We pay our taxes and we should not be forced to deal with the effects of the weather like this on our own. It was a disgrace that we felt this way when the roads weren’t gritted last winter and it beggars’ belief that we weren’t ready for today.
So I am clear, there are particular flooding incidents in Wolstanton, Cross Heath, the Westlands, May Bank, Porthill, Silverdale, along the A34 and in Bradwell. These are just the issues that have been raised with me over the last hour or so.
There are a number of questions that local people want answered:
Can you tell me what steps will be taken by Staffordshire County Council to address the situation as we see it right now?
What engagement the County Council had about our preparedness for this storm with the Borough Council?
What engagement the County Council had about our preparedness for this storm with Severn Trent?
What engagement the County Council had about our preparedness for this storm with all relevant emergency services?
I would also be grateful if you could address the following:
Can you confirm the maintenance and clearing schedule for drains in Newcastle-under-Lyme?
Do our drains get cleared proactively or only when complaints are made?
How many drains have been cleared in the last 12 months and where were they?
Will the County Council be providing support to sort this situation and when? If not, why not?
I look forward to hearing you with the urgency that this situation deserves.
Yours Sincerely,
Adam Jogee MP
Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme
