Madeley Residents Affected by Flooding Hope for Dry Weather

Residents of a cul-de-sac frequently impacted by flooding report that they retire each evening hoping for an absence of rain. Over the last year, heavy rainfall, including that from Storm Darragh and Storm Bert, has caused muddy floodwater to enter Mallard Close in Madeley, Staffordshire, depositing foul-smelling sludge and debris. Pete Landon, aged 84, described the ongoing flooding as “horrendous.” Staffordshire County Council stated that its highway teams are investigating a long-term resolution “as a matter of urgency.” Mr. Landon, who recently underwent knee and hip replacement surgery, has had to clear water and remove sludge from outside his residence in the close, which has experienced flooding at least seven times this year. He stated, “We’re praying every night that we won’t get any rain and wake up to another flood in the garage.” He added, “Apart from the flooding, it brings down loads of sludge and debris that’s laying over the close, including our drives. It’s just absolutely dreadful.” George and Elena Kalli have repeatedly cleaned the front of their property this year and expressed apprehension regarding the upcoming winter season. Mrs. Kalli commented that the circumstances had become “really, really upsetting” for her family. She remarked, “It’s a very bad situation for a lot of people but I think the brunt of it, we do suffer with the sheer volume of water that comes here.” She continued, “It’s just upsetting. I’ve thought about moving due to it because I just can’t keep thinking every time it’s bad weather that our houses are going to get flooded.” Kimberley Walley, vice-chair of Madeley Parish Council, stated that the council has been advocating to the county council for over five years concerning flooding on the adjacent Bar Hill. She attributed the problem to drainage issues, though local residents indicated that the problem had extended from the road in the last year, stemming from run-off from an HS2-owned field. The councillor noted that despite numerous appeals for assistance and support from Adam Jogee, MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, the county council has yet to establish either a short-term emergency strategy for flood events or a long-term strategy to resolve the drainage deficiencies. She commented, “There’s always been water held here but, certainly in the last two, years it’s become totally unpassable.” Mark Deaville, cabinet member for strategic highways at Staffordshire County Council, reported that some investigative efforts regarding the flooding have been conducted, and that road gullies are “inspected regularly and are routinely cleaned.” He stated, “We understand the concern of residents, and want to reassure them that highways teams continue to work as a matter of urgency on a long-term solution.” He added, “This includes working with Network Rail to divert excess water to a nearby pond. We feel this would help prevent future flooding of the road.” A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd asserted that the flooding resulted from “long-term blocked drainage that is beyond HS2’s control.” The company further stated, “We take our community responsibilities extremely seriously, which is why we’ve installed drainage and built embankments in our field by Red Lane, provided sandbags to Madeley Parish Council for distribution to local residents, and will offer the landowner of the neighbouring field our assistance to clear its drainage pipes that help channel water away from Red Lane.”