Letter: A281 Flooding Reveals Poor Maintenance and a Shabby Borough

Published on: 12 Aug, 2014
Updated on: 12 Aug, 2014

One of the deepest flash floods was on the A281 Guildford to Shalford road where the water appeared to be over six inches deep.

From M. Bedforth

I am writing regarding the A281 flooding on Sunday (August 10).

Not so long ago, Surrey County Council (SCC) laid special drainpipes to take excess surface water down to Shalford Meadow.  Connections were made across the carriageway to the gullies on the eastbound side and gullies were installed at the side of the westbound carriageway linked to these meadow drainpipes.

However, since the winter floods all of these drains and gullies have been blocked up because of:

a. silt and debris washed down from the quarry development in Chantry View Road and;

b. hedges, undergrowth and greenery growing out over the kerb on the meadow side into the road.

Debris and silt collects and the problem worsens.  I noticed that the Guildford Borough Council (GBC) sweeper lorry abandoned gutter clearance recently.

SCC need to: cut back the hedge and clear the undergrowth off the road; cut down the dead elms on the east side of the road (otherwise these will fall in a storm and cause danger to road users) and; cut back the nettles bordering the pavement between Chantry View Road and Pilgrims Way as well as the nettles and brambles at the Great Quarry Road bus stop by the Rowing Club.

GBC environmental services need to bring the sweeper back when the above is attended to.

A joint effort is badly needed before the autumn rains arrive.  Are there no inspectors these days in our banana republic? At least the old style paternalistic Tories kept the infrastructure in better order than the current cadre.

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