Fishbourne man shares concern over flooding fears

John Edwards, 78, of Salthill Road in Fishbourne, said he fears his home may flood in the near future if drainage problems are not fixed.

Having moved into the property in December, Mr Edwards soon noticed the drains outside his new home were not functioning, so contacted West Sussex County Council in January to have the drains cleared.

John was told someone would be out to fix the issue ‘within ten working days’ but five months have passed and he said nothing has been done.

He said: “I was really concerned about this so I tried to get them to do something urgently.

“The best I could do was to buy bags of top soil which I put on the path and put more stuff in front of my door.

“It managed to hold the situation.

“The rain was quite persistent, it wasn’t extreme, but if we did get something extreme it was not going to hold.”

With heavy rain over the area in recent weeks John now says he is ‘really concerned’ about what the wetter weather could mean for him.

He added: “When the rain came it was quite clear that the drains were well blocked.

“The puddle developed and cars drove though it and washed it up on the pavement and onto my front path, which is down hill.

“I have always regarded myself as self reliant but I can’t sort this one out myself – there’s no way I can get this sorted.”

The county council confirmed that drains are due to be cleaned in August.

A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “The drains in the area are scheduled for cleaning in August.

“If the resident reports, to our Highways team, a flooding incident which poses an immediate highway safety hazard or threat to property, we will investigate and assess the risk and prioritise.

“If it was a priority, we can then request ad hoc gully cleansing operations.”