We were expecting the ditch near Laburnum Way to be cleaned out today, but for some reason that wasn’t done. In any case the heavy rain has probably swept away any effluent that was there. However the heavy rain has highlighted another question- we understand that this ditch is meant to take all the surface water run-off from the Park School site – is it up to the job?
Here’s some photos taken by a local resident:
The first shows the ditch on 19th July, when the water level was low:
The second shows the same ditch today – not surprisingly, the water level is much higher after all the heavy rain.
The third shows a grille a little bit downstream from here. You can see various bits of plants and debris forming a bit of a barrier around the front of the grille. But to the right of the picture you can see some of the stuff that a resident had already removed from the ditch – it filled two 80-litre sacks. Without his efforts, would the grille have been completely blocked? Would the ditch have overflowed?
What we should be asking is will the ditch in Tryndehayes be able to take this. Without flooding those who live by the ditches. There are properties along Parkhurst Dr and Rutland Dr who have been affected by the large amount of water over flowing from the ditch when it get to full and over flow. This has got a lot worse since more water has been added form Laburnum. I hat to think what is going to happen when they add the water from the Coppicegate Scandal site Park School site to it. As the ditches in Tryndehayes have not been cleaned out in years and the ditch in Tryndehayes are and have been filled in. Not more then 50 years ago kids could get a boat in the ditch (yes a boat). And go up and down them.