A woman said she 'always panics when it rains' - claiming that sludge comes down her driveway due to blocked drains outside her home. Diane Constantine, of Farnborough Road in Clifton, called for a new drainage system to be installed when her 'beautiful' home was flooded in 2020.
But even with the new drain, retired Mrs Constantine said she was still facing problems when it rains. The 66-year-old claimed the drain was not 'properly maintained' by the city council, which the authority strongly refutes.
Nottingham City Council, however, said that both gullies outside Mrs Constantine's home were included in their targeted-cleaning regime and visited every three months. The council also said both gullies outside her home were found to have been in full operation.
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But Mrs Constantine said that she had taken the matter into her own hands by cleaning a drain outside her home, which has been installed near the tram lines. She explained that the drain often gets covered in mud, blocking the drain when it rains.
She told Nottinghamshire Live: "The water was three inches high last week, when we had rain. It is getting muddy every time. They [the council] are not looking after it. They put [in] the new drain, which I am very grateful for. But now they need to maintain it."
She added: "I always panic when it rains. When it rains, it is like a river coming down the drive. All you can see it is sludge when it rains. My car gets dirty every time."
Mrs Constantine, who explained she had reported the issue to the city council, said that residue water was about three inches high in the week of January 9 due to heavy rainfall.
In response to Mrs Constantine's claims and concerns, a Nottingham City Council spokesperson said: “We understand Ms Constantine’s frustration and have been working closely with them to sort out this issue.
“The problem in 2020 was caused after a month’s worth of rain fell in one day and we inevitably saw incidents of localised flooding around the city unfortunately. We work really hard throughout the year clearing gullies, paying particular attention to known hotspots which are affected by floodwater, but sometimes the sheer volume of water in a short space of time can cause problems.
“However, we installed an additional gully on the road outside the couple’s house and fixed an issue with a pavement gully connecting to the sewer network. We also lifted a dropped kerb slightly to provide further protection from rainwater.
“Both gullies are now included in our targeted-cleaning regime and visited every three months. Latest reports show them to be fully operational.”
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