Leighton Buzzard residents urge CBC to clean drains near Adam’s Bottom after ‘repeated flooding’

Families claim that the area of Heath Road, near Adam’s Bottom, started flooding several months ago whenever there was “even a small amount of rain”.

Although the area didn’t flood on the week of November 27, with residents suspecting the drain was cleaned by the council, they are upset that a strip of wet leaves along the pathway wasn’t dealt with – “do you think they are waiting for some poor pensioner to slip and break their hip?” asked one resident who contacted the LBO.

Commenting on the repeated flooding, the man claimed: “This is probably because leaves build up but it is also because other gullies in the area are not cleaned often enough.

“I would expect the council to have noticed this, but after several weeks of no change I reported it.

“Eventually they noted that this would be dealt with as part of their regular cleaning.

“This is not good enough. The road is impassable by pedestrians when even a small shower has passed unless they want to get showered with filthy water by passing traffic.”

Residents also wish to know why a section of road between Heath Park Drive and The Star pub has been made around 1.5 metres narrower, with claims this makes the road more dangerous for motorists and cyclists.

The man added: “We who live in the area and pay substantial council tax are again frustrated by the pathetic attendance our council give us and how they waste money on unnecessary works.”

A Central Beds Council spokesman said: “We do monitor very closely and carefully residents’ reports on our roads, including those about flooding.

“This can sometimes flag up a deeper issue that needs further investigation, so we will continue to keep a watchful eye out.

“We are always grateful to residents for letting us know. Gullies in the area were checked and cleaned out when necessary in September and this month as part of our regular maintenance schedule.

“The road was narrowed as a traffic calming measure.”