'Our Audley drive has been flooded for six years'
AN INVESTIGATION is underway after a homeowner complained his drive has been regularly flooded for six years.
Sean Emery Hyson says he is regularly unable to walk out of his drive without having to wade through up to two-feet of water.
The 40-year-old is blaming the problem on tree roots blocking the drains outside his Audley home.
Now Staffordshire County Council – which oversees flooding complaints – is to carry out further investigations at the site.
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Married father-of-three Sean, who owns New Farm, in Cross Lane, said: "I'm sick of the fact that we have not been able to physically walk out of our own drive for the past six years.
"It's really dangerous to drive out as well because the water makes the brakes wet meaning they don't work at first.
"Two weeks ago, my wife was driving the kids to school when two of the bulbs in the headlights blew out.
"It has happened that many times over the past four or five months that the shop we go to recognises us."
He added: "I understand that the council is busy but our driveway was flooded months before the heavy rain started.
"It's been happening for so long and it appears little has been done to stop it reoccurring."
Sean's parents, Gerald and Marie, own the 68-acres of land where New Farm is located. Part of their land is rented to farmers to graze cattle or grow crops.
Mr Emery, aged 66, who lives at Beech, near Hanchurch, said: "This year has been exceptional for rain but never has the land been as bad as this.
"The council says it is investigating but they've been investigating it for the past six years.
"I'm hoping the problem can be solved once and for all."
Mrs Emery says the situation gets worse when the water freezes across the driveway, turning it into an ice rink.
The 65-year-old said: "The driveway to the house gets flooded every winter.
"Sometimes, it even comes over the top of your wellies. Luckily, my grandchildren don't need to walk across it to walk to school but my son still needs to drive through it."
The council is spending £300,000 to clean and survey roadside gullies.
Councillor Mike Maryon, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "During exceptionally heavy rainfall water runs off the saturated land and fills up watercourses and spills on to the highways.
"We have been out to Cross Lane after the reports of flooding.
"The drain was jetted and we are now planning to investigate to see if there is anything causing a blockage on the network."
Comments
by savage
Tuesday, December 04 2012, 8:36PM
“"AN INVESTIGATION is underway after a homeowner complained his drive has been regularly flooded for six years. " (?)
If Sean's parents owned this land he should have been aware of the 'lay of the land' and possible drainage problems before he started living there?! You cannot always defy nature and Gravity and you should investigate the neighborhood before you start living there. If it's raining the water goes to the low spots. DUH. From just looking at the picture you can tell there is a low spot there. Water saturation is a problem the World over. Fill it in and landscape ? or possibly move. ONLY six years now with this problem? Perhaps Sean is a Slow learner?”