Oswestry residents' flood fears over problem culvert

Residents in Oswestry said a failure to tackle long-term flooding problems was putting homes at risk.

Gobowen Road was closed on Wednesday evening after heavy rainfall led to a small roadside brook overflowing.

People living nearby say it is the latest in a string of "totally preventable" issues stretching back years, caused by a blocked culvert.

Shropshire Council said the land was owned by the Cambrian Heritage Railways trust.

The trust said it had commissioned a full cleaning of the railway culvert, but added: "We do not expect this to make any significant difference to the issues being seen during prolonged or significant rainfall events."

Local resident David Eccleston said his was one of six homes that were next to the road and were at risk of flooding.

He said the cause of the problem was a pipe that carried the brook under the road and rail line, which he said was blocked by tree roots and debris.

Despite multiple reports over the past three years, he said little action had been taken by the council and the flooding had got worse.

During storms in February 2020, he said his home had been flooded, with the water reaching the first step of his stairs.

Wednesday's rainfall, he said, had seen the water rise to within just 3in (7.6cm) of entering his home.

Despite road closure signs, he said four or five cars had broken down, with flood water up to 2ft (60cm) deep at some points on the road.

Similar rainfall in October he said had left the road closed for a week.

In a post on Facebook, Oswestry Fire Station said floods had made the road "impassable for pedestrians and cyclists", adding it had seen an "increase in vehicles getting stuck in shallow waters in recent weeks".

"Recently every time it rains, even minor rain, it [the culvert] fills up really quickly, overflows on to the road," Mr Eccleston said.

"The problem is getting the issue resolved, no-one wants to take responsibility.

"It is totally preventable."

Sheila Slater, whose garden flooded in October, told BBC Radio Shropshire: "Why should we live in this fear?

"Nobody wants to listen to us, nobody wants to help us."

Mr Eccleston said getting help from council teams had been even more difficult over the Christmas period, with many people on annual leave.

Local Liberal Democrat councillor James Owen said he had been supporting the residents and had spoken to MP Helen Morgan.

"It is frustration, it is worry," he said.

"[The residents] don't get to sleep at night every time it rains like this because they don't want to come down to a flood in the morning."

Shropshire Council's assistant director for infrastructure, Andy Wilde, said the authority appreciated the situation was difficult for residents, but it was a longstanding problem with a pipe where "the section under the Cambrian Rail Trust land has been impacted by tree roots".

"Shropshire Council has taken previous action to clear roots as a gesture of goodwill," he said.

"The problem is that roots have returned and the associated trees sit on the land for which the trust is responsible.

"Shropshire Council can deploy powers in accordance with the Land Drainage Act, but these are permissive powers.

"We have been dealing with this matter from a flood management perspective and will also take further action to follow up with the trust."

The Cambrian Railway Trust said only a small percentage of the culvert route sat within its land and changes of land usage since the railway was built was having an impact on local waterways.

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