Council demands 'proper investment' to stop floods causing huge damage again

Cash for drain upgrades is needed to stop floods causing huge damage across Stockport again in future, the council has said.

On New Year’s Eve the borough was hit hard when intense rain overloaded rivers and brooks, making some roads impassable, ruining cars, and damaging properties.

Some residents told the Manchester Evening News (M.E.N) that blocked grids made the problem worse because the water could not clear away.

Alan and Lyn Russell’s home on Glandon Drive in hulme>Cheadle Hulme was one of the victims.

In the early hours of the morning on New Year’s Day the couple found “two to three inches” of water inside their home, and a “lake” outside the property where a blocked grid failed to drain the water.

On streets around their house the M.E.N found a number of other grids appear to be completely blocked by mud and dirt.

But Stockport council said budget cuts have limited what it can do - and called for the government and United Utilities (UU) to inject more cash into fixing the problem.

Grace Baynham, the council’s cabinet member for highways, said: "We are consistently investing in infrastructure improvements to minimise the effects on residents, for example by carrying out extra work on our drainage and gully systems.

“However, council budgets have been savagely reduced by the government over the last few years, so we have to prioritise investment where it's needed most.

"Much of the main drainage system is owned and maintained by United Utilities, the council works closely with United Utilities but significant investment is needed by them to upgrade the main drainage system to deal with the weather events we are now experiencing.”

After the floods Stockport council announced it would launch an investigation to try