Forums Forums Local News Flooding

Seeing all this flooding going on around us is horrendous. I tried to think when I last saw a truck come and clean the grids in roads and can’t remember it’s been that long.
I try to clean the leaves when they clog up grid outside mine but obviously it’s not enough , they all need to be maintained and kept clear.
Its about time this Wirral council got its act together and start concentrating on important things, not creating another park when they can’t keep our main parks safe !

I can't remember the last time I have seen the grids being cleaned either.
The rain wasn't even as bad as it has been in the past, and these places didn't flood so much then.

I think that is harsh, I had to go to Bromborough yesterday afternoon to collect my car and the rain was the worst I have ever known, this carried on while I was coming back via Spital towards the M53. I don't believe any drains in the world could cope with that level of sudden and persistent rain. I agree I have not seen a truck cleaning the drains for a long time .

You can check when your street is cleaned https://www.wirral.gov.uk/environmental-problems/street-care-and-cleaning/street-cleaning#wgSM-4

Borough Road, Birkenhead appeared to have someone round in the middle of the rain unclogging drains, there were a large number of blocked drains earlier on then clear later. I believe down towards Well Lane there was about two feet of water at one point.

Looks like a large manhole cover might have blown on Kings Road around Brimstage Avenue, the road surface was raised around the manhole and a fire engine was down the drive of a house opposite.

Yeh, I'm back if that's ok. ? Missed you all.


The lady along the road from us had a manhole cover blown in her garden, which resulted in sewage everywhere. It was pretty violent here, but seemed to drain away quickly after the torrent stopped.
I have never seen my garden flooded in 22 yrs, but it was the other day.

Who had their canoe out in BIrkenhead. ? Ha.

Hi Granny, glad to see you back , it just hasn’t been the same without you.
Yes thought I may see Noah and his Ark floating by, ha.
Seriously though it was pretty frightening my sons road was flooded and the manhole had to be removed to get rid of the water. I still think it’s got a lot to do with grids not getting cleaned regularly, I want to see one of those trucks that regularly used to come and suck up the debris that collects.

With a downpour like that quite often it doesn't make any difference how often the streets are cleaned, the downpour pulls loads of leaves off the trees which block the drain.

If its just litter that is blocking the drains, blame the litterbugs not the Council.

I used to clear a drain on Barnston Road and at the time we had a road sweeper clear the gutters a number of times a week, it still blocked and flooded.

I cleared the drain because the flood was causing traffic jams, whilst I wasn't expecting thanks I'd still get numerous cars purposely aiming for the flood to soak me - bit pointless really as it was pouring down and I wasn't exactly sitting on my armchair with my slippers on in front of a cosy fire. Two feet nearer and I would have put my rod through their car in self-defence - idiots!

On Friday morning ,after the deluge , there was a council vehicle cleaning the grids in our road, stable door and bolting horse comes to mind.

Leaves and litter may block the drains but litter is nowhere near as bad as it was years ago. If the drains got unblocked more regularly, like they used to be, I doubt this would have been so bad.
Welcome back Granny.

People tend to forget the thing about blown manhole covers. When I see people on tv wading through soupy floodwater, I have the horrors about someone falling down a manhole! Edit: Wheee, just noticed this is my thousandth post!

Wirral Council are having an investigation into the flooding.
Who is responsible for cleaning and unblocking the drains, WBC or United Utilities?
I'd have thought this solely rests on the shoulders of United Utilities. Whoever it is, they need to pull their finger out.
https://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/19578567.investigation-flooding-heavy-rain-wirral/

Street grids and drains are responsibility of the Council, the main pipes are the responsibility of United Utilities.

There is no resolution to sudden hard downpours, in the southern parts of the USA where they have regular hard downpours they have absolutely huge grids (I've seen 8ft X 6ft grids in roads) and massive amounts of stormwater storage and levees, the hardest rain still catches them out and roads and property flood.

You could throw a lot of money at it but are us the users prepared to pay?

Generally the priority in the UK is to protect houses over roads, which is a sensible approach.

Older district in the UK have combined surface and foul water drains which compounds the issue, we try to capture and store nearly all of that water - admittedly some companies have performed poorly in that respect where they release the water untreated. It is exceedingly rare to have foul water backing up in houses in this area.

Newer house have separate foul and surface water drainage which enables better capture of surface water in open stormwater storage. But land is expensive and using it for storm water storage needs a lot of money. In places we have massive underground tanks but they are hugely expensive to build.

Bursting roads/manholes are also reasonably rare but wherever there is higher ground near lower ground there will always be some risk. 90ft of water exerts about 40 psi pressure, on a 2ft X 2ft manhole that is roughly 11.5 tons of force, easy to contain in a downwards direction, much more difficult in an upward direction without 10 tons of counterweight for each manhole. Fortunately it acts as a release otherwise that pressure could arrive in houses.

Its not perfect but generally we are somewhere around a reasonable compromise between cost and effectiveness around here, other parts of the country have much worse problems, not helped by corruption within the industry thanks to us hiving this service out to foreign countries/companies

Of course, I believe it should be a public utility but it appears I am outvoted by capitalists - you get what you vote for.

In summary, are you prepared to pay for a better system and have a proportion of that money given away to financial gamblers?

I seen a picture of a guy kayaking down new Chester road when it was flooded

A new experience to add to Wirral's collection.

Thanks to Cools and Mikeeb. I have been waiting for something like an interesting topic to appear, ones which can involve more members , but so far no luck.