Legislation thwarts efforts on flooding

SHAMBOLIC privatisation legislation continues to thwart attempts at solving North Walsham's flooding problems, a county councillor claims.

Paul Morse has spent almost a year unravelling who's responsible for the town's drainage in a bid to tackle a clutch of flooding hot-spots.

But progress has been at a snail's pace because a number of organisations are involved and confusion is rife, he says.

Improvement work has now taken place on New Road and Spenser Avenue, and is due to be carried out on Thirlby Avenue.

But problems on Marshgate are still being investigated and repeated flooding on Bradfield Road - outside Mr Morse's ward - has not been tackled.

Anglian Water, Norfolk County Council, North Norfolk District Council and landowners share responsibility for different parts of the town's drainage network.

NCC has earmarked nearly £100,000 to re-route drains concentrated in Bluebell Road but the scheme is still at the design stage because of fears that it could shift problems elsewhere.

Mr Morse has asked AW to investigate a Bluebell Road drain infested with tree roots. And he has recently discovered that it is NNDC's responsibility to find out who owns land adjoining AW's Marshgate sewage works.

It is the landowner's duty to clear two ditches there which take about 40 pc of the town's surface water. One appears to peter out and not be linked to the other, 10 yards away, which flows into the North Walsham and Dilham Canal.

“Trying to find out who should be doing what is a nightmare,” said Mr Morse. “When you do get through to someone it's always just a 'part' of their job, so they have to pick it up from scratch, which all takes time.”

Mr Morse told last week's North Walsham Town Council meeting: “The legislation is a shambles - a total muddle.”