Problem drains to be targeted with extra cash

Problematic Nottinghamshire drains will be cleared annually

A company that looks after drains along Nottinghamshire's roads has pledged to deploy more crews to clear blockages over the next six months.

Via East Midlands is responsible for maintaining and repairing 158,000 drains and gullies across the county's roads.

The county council-owned company said it had reduced the amount of times it cleaned out drains over the past few years due to a lack of resources but extra funding would allow it to target problem areas.

Homeowners and businesses have blamed overflowing drains for damaging flash floods during storms that hit last winter.

Drainage manager Matt Duckworth says drains block for a variety of reasons

The cleaning forms part of a wider £467,000 programme of drainage work which will allow Via to intensify its gulley cleansing programme between September and March.

Drainage manager Matt Duckworth said: "[The cyclic cleanse programme] has obviously suffered over the years as resources have dwindled.

"The key thing is that we target that cleanse."

Drains with a history of silting up should be flushed annually. Others are only flushed every three years.

Via prioritises reports of properties under threat and works closely with Severn Trent, which is responsible for sewers.

Every report of a blocked drain is supposed to be inspected within ten days but it may take months before crews are available to act.

Mr Duckworth said finding the cause of each blockage was key.

"No two jobs are the same. It's only when you've found the cause that you can identify the course of action and who is responsible," he said.