A very important feature of road construction is drainage. New roads include designed drainage systems. These are intended to remove water efficiently from the surface of the highway. They provide a safe passage for all vehicles and pedestrians.
Older roads may have less sophisticated drainage, but most have features designed to take the water away from the road surface. It is necessary to clean and maintain these drainage provisions so that they can work properly.
Problems can occur even when drainage provisions are clean and well maintained.
Roads flood and become waterlogged when the amount of water on them is greater than the capacity of the drainage facilities that take it away.
Exceptional rainfall, a road being in a low lying area, changes in 'run off' from adjacent fields and rivers overflowing are some situations that can lead to the road flooding or being waterlogged even when drains are in good working order.
Material carried into the drains by floods can also lead to them becoming blocked. Drainage grills and gratings (for example on gullies) can become blocked very quickly when materials like mud are deposited on the road or when there is a heavy fall of leaves. If a flooded road is caused by a ruptured water main the water company will be responsible for repairing the damage.
Water is directed to drains by the road profile. Puddles (ponding) tend to form if there is a depression in the road. This can be rectified where necessary by local patching of the road surface.
The following notes give guidance on who to contact for various types of flooding:
Flooding from public sewers
The water company owns and manages the network of public foul and surface water sewers. The majority of public sewers are located in highways. In the case of North Lincolnshire that will either be Severn Trent or Anglian Water. You need to contact the utility that you pay your sewerage bill to. To report an overflowing public sewer please contact either:
Anglian Water call centre on 08457 145145
Severn Trent call centre on 0800 7834444
Flooding from private sewers or drains
If your private drains or sewers are overflowing, you will need a drainage contractor to deal with any blockage. See Yellow Pages under "drain and pipe cleaning". If you are uncertain if any blockage is in the public or private sewers, the water company should be able to determine this, once on site, then recharge you the cost of any work on the private sewers.
Flooding from the public highway
For flooding from the public highway or reporting blocked road gullies or gratings, please contact Highway Maintenance on 01724 297000 or use the online form.
Flooding from a burst water main
The local water supply companies are Severn Trent and Anglian Water. They are responsible for their supply up to and including the water stopcock. To report a burst main contact either:
Anglian Water on 08457 145145.
Severn Trent on 0800 7834444
Flooding from a water service pipe or internal pipework
This is the responsibility of the homeowner or landlord and would need the attention of a plumber (see Yellow Pages or similar directories).
Flooding from a main river
The main rivers are the responsibility of the Environment Agency, call on 0845 933 3111.
In addition, the Agency provides a Floodline, which is a 24 hour advice and information service for floods and flood warning on 0845 988 1188.
Flooding from watercourses, other than main rivers
Watercourses, other than main rivers, are the responsibility of their owners. You are an owner if your property or land is on, or very near, a watercourse. Owners have a duty to keep the watercourse clear of any obstruction to flow and the council can serve legal notices on owners to deal with obstructions. There are several internal drainage boards within North Lincolnshire who deal with this.
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