Flood risk leads to more road gully cleaning

The new clearing policy has been described by councillors as "cost-effective"

A council has announced plans to clean all of its 294,000 road gullies to reduce the risk of flooding.

Residents across the country were affected this January after torrential rain left parts of the UK flooded.

Lancashire County Council now plans to schedule clean-ups of all gullies in a bid to help prevent future flooding, instead of undertaking cleaning only when blockages are reported.

Councillor Rupert Swarbrick, cabinet member for highways, said the new policy was more cost-efficient and "reflects the lessons learned".

"We will still be undertaking reactive gully cleaning where it meets the criteria and urge residents to continue to keep reporting blocked gullies so these can be dealt with quickly and efficiently," he added.

Blocked gullies can lead to water drainage problems