Drains and ditches cleared out to tackle flooding

Northumberland County Council said the flooding of the A189 in April was caused by months of wet weather

An "intensive programme" of cleaning is under way to try and cut flooding on a county's roads.

Northumberland County Council is spending £1m on additional maintenance work clearing out drains and ditches.

The council's cabinet was told that weather patterns and storms last winter had caused "significant damage and deterioration".

John Riddle, cabinet member for roads and highways, said: "With over 3,000 miles of road to look after, it's a big task to keep them clear".

Severe winter storms have led to flooding on many Northumberland roads

"We have already been very busy throughout the spring and summer dealing with the significant damage and maintenance issues caused by last year's severe winter weather," he said.

"We want to keep our highways as safe as possible for all users over the coming winter."

The work will be funded by the Conservative-led council’s Severe Weather Reserve and will involve using four specialist vehicles, as well as bringing in extra contractors and equipment.

Northumberland County Council has four vehicles used to clear ditches and drains

Wooler councillor Mark Mather, Conservative, welcomed the investment but said he would like to see "more preventative work".

"In such a rural county we can't get round every road so we need to work with farmers and landowners," he said.

"We need to get them to keep the trees cut back and make sure their ditches are clear so that fields don't flood onto the roads.

"Let's see some pride in how we deal with our highways because things are improving but they could be better still."