PEDESTRIANS are being left soaked while waiting for the bus after heavy rain left several busy roads severely flooded.
Mersea Road, Berechurch Hall Road, and Queen Elizabeth Way are among the Colchester streets which suffer from persistent flooding after inclement weather.
Berechurch councillor Dave Harris has written to highways bosses to raise concerns on behalf of residents after severe weather left the roads in his ward flooded for days.
Mr Harris, who is also a county councillor for the area, blames a shift in focus to fixing potholes for the regular flooding, which he says occurs every time there is heavy rain.
“I think it’s been caused by a lack of maintenance over the years and that is the big issue for me which I’m complaining about,” he said.
“We had drain suckers coming around years ago but that doesn’t happen anymore, so every time it rains significantly this happens.
“If it rains for an hour, it’s not a problem. But when it rains overnight or like it has done over the last few days, the roads flood.”
The councillor said one of the problem areas is next to a bus stop which has caused commuters to get splashed by cars which can’t avoid the puddles.
He added: “Imagine you’re waiting for the bus and cars can’t avoid the huge puddle; they can’t avoid splashing pedestrians. It’s terrible.
“You used to get puddles here and there but they’d drain very quickly but now they take a day or two to clear.
“The council is working hard to fix potholes but that means drain maintenance isn’t getting done.”
What does Essex Highways say?
Essex Highways said it completes inspections and drain cleaning across the county every year, but recent weather events like Storm Henk can mean it takes “some time for water levels to drain” into gullies, ditches, or drains.
A spokesman said: “When road flooding issues are reported to us, we visit the site and carry out gully cleansing and jetting if necessary.”
The authority added defects are prioritised according to their risk and urged residents to report issues at essexhighways.org/tell-us or by calling 0345 758 5592 if there is a safety risk.
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