Residents of a County Durham village were today (Monday, October 30) counting the costs of flash flooding at the weekend - and have called on the council to take action to ensure the drains are kept clear of autumn leaves.
People were evacuated from several homes in Lanchester on Sunday and some businesses remained closed today as mopping up continued.
Many villagers The Northern Echo spoke to said Durham County Council's "failure to keep drains clear of autumn leaves" was the cause of the flooding.
Emergency services were alerted early on Sunday to floods in the village. Firefighters rescued some residents from their homes, while others had to climb out of their windows to escape the rising water.
Front Street was submerged in water, while the A691 was closed in both directions for a period.
The council, which said investigations into the cause of the weekend flooding are ongoing, invested thousands of pounds in upgrading the drainage system after "Thunder Thursday" in June 2012.
Claire Bowman of Consett said she got a call at 6am on Sunday saying her 84-year-old mother Patricia Mahone was being rafted out of her home by firefighters.
She said: “I came down they had managed to get her across the road. She was absolutely shaken and blue. The whole of the downstairs was flooded. She has lost her car and the little bit of independence she had."
Her brother Tony Henley said: "My mother is in shock. Look at the house. It’s everything that she's worked only to see it destroyed.
“We believe it was autumn leaves blocking the drains that has caused the flooding. It's so easy for the council to turn around and say they've done extensive work on the drainage system.
“Why didn't they come and clear the leaves out? Everybody was aware the weather was coming. I would have thought it's a duty of care they have.”
Nigel Burns, 55, who is wheelchair user after suffering a stroke, said: “The fire brigade came to my bedroom window to help me, but by then I was in my wheelchair.
“I asked them to help Patricia first, because she’s a lovely old lady. I couldn’t get downstairs because the stairlift did not work, but they eventually got me out.”
He added: “A lot of the drains are full of leaves constantly. I used to empty the drain on the corner every night when I came home from work. But since I’ve had the stroke I’ve stopped and it just doesn’t get done.
“They have done a lot of work on the drain system but they need to keep cleaning them otherwise drains not worth it.”
Kristo Xhaferri of Ravello Ristorante said he was heartbroken by the extensive damage to his restaurant.
He said: "I was called at 7am and when I arrived opened the door and water came flooding out.
"I have dried as much as could, but I have lost a lot. The fridges are full of food. I have 10 full and part-time staff on my shoulders, as well. It’s not their fault they need to be paid."
He also blamed the severity of the flooding on the council's failure to maintain the drains.
Mr Xhaferri said: "It is very frustrating because I pay £8,500 in rates. I don’t understand what I pay this money for.
"All these leaves come down my side and get in my doorway. Every morning my staff come out and clean it. It is the council’s duty to clear the drains. I pay them.
"If they came and checked this on a regular basis at this time of the year I would have avoided all this cost. It’s at high risk for flooding."
Carley Jackson of Get Ahead Hats said: "I have lost hats – none of which were booked.
"I have lost business because I cannot trade until I have had my carpets replaced. I have lost about £10,000 worth of goods. It is such a shame because I had just had my carpets replaced."
She added: "This has all been caused because of the drains blocking the leaves and they are not been cleared out regularly.
"My father-in-law cleaned them out a month ago outside the house - and he’s 70-years-old - and that’s not right.
"It just needs more support from the council. They have spent a fortune on the drainage system and it’s been fine for the last five years. It’s just a shame for the whole village."
Gillian Kennington, 43, said: "I was woken at 6am by a neighbour telling me the house was flooded. and I jumped out of the window.
"Normally when it floods we lift the drains ourselves, but was too far gone.
"Then I had to evacuate my two children, who are nine and 14 through the window. The fire brigade came half an hour later and started to pump out the water out. The house is damaged all the way through.
"There is no work done on the drains on our estate (when they upgraded the system). We need more drains. We only have three on our estate."
Ged Peaden, of Lanchester Hardware, which remained open said: "It is what it is. We’re trying to make the best of a bad job. It’s not easy.
"There are a lot of reasons for the flood. It’s not just one. It’s leaves, it’s saturation, you’ve got the fields, you've got more water going into the drains because of hard surfaces and it’s where we are – there’s a massive combination.
"You cannot just say ah it’s the council’s fault because they did not sweep up the leaves. It’s not just that."
In March 2019 work on a new surface water drainage system to reduce flooding in the village was completed by Durham County Council, the Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water.
Additional drainage designed to capture excess surface water and discharge into a culvert, was installed on Front Street and Newbiggin Lane.
Recommended reading:
- Durham village hit by flash flooding
- Emergency services stage mock rescue operation in flood-prone Lanchester
- Work to reduce flooding in Lanchester is complete
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Anthea Smith, Durham County Council’s highways services manager, said: “The investigations into the cause of Sunday’s flood are still ongoing.
“We have a regular gully cleansing programme in place and following the flood our gully motors have been out to remove any further debris that had collected in the drains.
“We are encouraging the public if they spot a flooded road or blocked drain to please report it to us via ‘Do it Online’ on our website.”
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