Residents trapped when water rises

Retired and elderly residents left housebound by floodwater are demanding action.

Holles Close, Boughton, has regularly flooded for 20 years and residents, with the support of their district council, are campaigning for the problem to be solved.

Mr and Mrs David Toker have lived at the sheltered housing complex for almost two years and missed an optician’s appointment last week because the water was so high.

Mr Toker (59) said: “It doesn’t have to rain very hard for it to flood. Because we are lower than the main road the water comes running in.”

Miss Mavis Ilett (77) said: “It’s like a river. We get sent sandbags all year round. Last year there was a thunderstorm and it flooded in ten minutes.

“Something needs to be done. We feel we are being neglected. The county council is not listening.”

She said when it flooded residents were trapped inside.

The Newark and Sherwood district councillor for Boughton, Mr Dean Nixon, said: “Holles Close has been subject to flooding for over 20 years.

“In that time, many people have promised to resolve this problem. It is now time to end this flooding.”

Mr Nixon said the gullies on Main Road were full of earth, causing the water to drain on to Holles Close.

He said: “I don’t blame Nottinghamshire County Council’s highways department directly, but the last administration. Their policy of neglect over gully clearing is a major factor in this flooding.

“Firstly, we must have these gullies cleared — there is a third of a mile of blocked gullies leading to Holles Close, resulting in a vast amount of water running into the close which is lower than Main Road, overloading the soakaway, which serves it.

“If this gully clearing fails to cure the problem, then there are other measures that will have to be undertaken.

“However, the initial problem lies with the county council and it’s time it was rectified.”

The residents rent their properties from Newark and Sherwood Homes.

The district council’s emergency planning officer, Mr Mark Henry, said: “The district council has been to this site several times during actual flooding incidents, when our duty officers have been called out to provide sandbags to residents, and also to give them some additional supplies for the next time.

“We then make the case the next day to Newark and Sherwood Homes and Nottinghamshire County Council’s highways department, to inform them of and request they address the issues to reduce the risk of flooding.

“We continue to bring up these ongoing issues at our local Multi-Agency Flood Planning meetings which the council uses to ensure co-ordination across the various agencies and progress at sites that flood, in order to try and reduce such incidents across the district.”

A spokesman for Newark and Sherwood Homes said: “We are aware of the issue with the drains and have visited the site and spoken to tenants to ascertain the issues.

“We aim to ensure customers are satisfied with their homes and our services, and are working in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council to resolve this issue.”

A spokesman for the county council said: “Now that we are aware of residents’ concerns we will investigate this and take appropriate action if necessary.”