Cash for drain upgrades is needed to stop floods causing huge damage across Stockport again in future, the council has said.
On New Year’s Eve the borough was hit hard when intense rain overloaded rivers and brooks, making some roads impassable, ruining cars, and damaging properties.
Some residents told the Manchester Evening News (M.E.N) that blocked grids made the problem worse because the water could not clear away.
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Alan and Lyn Russell’s home on Glandon Drive in hulme>Cheadle Hulme was one of the victims.
In the early hours of the morning on New Year’s Day the couple found “two to three inches” of water inside their home, and a “lake” outside the property where a blocked grid failed to drain the water.
On streets around their house the M.E.N found a number of other grids appear to be completely blocked by mud and dirt.
But Stockport council said budget cuts have limited what it can do – and called for the government and United Utilities (UU) to inject more cash into fixing the problem.
Residents in Stockport have complained that blocked grids are causing flooding. -Credit: Ioannis Verdelis
Grace Baynham, the council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “We are consistently investing in infrastructure improvements to minimise the effects on residents, for example by carrying out extra work on our drainage and gully systems.
“However, council budgets have been savagely reduced by the government over the last few years, so we have to prioritise investment where it’s needed most.
“Much of the main drainage system is owned and maintained by United Utilities, the council works closely with United Utilities but significant investment is needed by them to upgrade the main drainage system to deal with the weather events we are now experiencing.”
After the floods Stockport council announced it would launch an investigation to try and prevent similar levels of damage in future.
Coun Baynham added: “Despite this work, the biggest help the government can give to our residents is proper investment into national water infrastructure and localised support to councils that have areas at higher risk.”
Alan and Lyn Russell’s home flooded on New Years Day – they blamed blocked grids on their road. -Credit:Jason Roberts / MEN
UU said it is investing in the drainage network – but this would not have stopped flooding from local brooks and rivers.
A spokesperson from the company added: “Our network, including storm overflows, operated as planned and will have helped to reduce the impact of some of the flooding that was seen.
“We are making significant investment in our infrastructure in the borough over the next five years, including reducing the number of times that storm overflows operate.
“We are working with the GMCA and EA on delivering an Integrated Water Management Plan across the city region that includes looking at how rainfall is managed.
“Everyone can play their part, so it is vital we work in partnership to deliver the variety of measures that are needed, from holding back the flow in the uplands through to slowing the flow of water into drains in urban areas.”
Some of the worst flooding in Stockport was seen around Meadow Mill near Portwood roundabout.
When the mill’s car park flooded cars were submerged below water and people were left trapped inside the building, sparking a major emergency response.
The situation has continued to hurt residents who have had to stump up hundreds of pounds up front paying for hotels while the building is made safe.
Lisa Smart, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson and MP for Hazel Grove, said a national response is needed to stop further incidents happening in Stockport and elsewhere.
She told the M.E.N: “The government needs to know what support it needs to provide to reduce the impact of these conditions, which are going to be ever more frequent given the impact of climate change.
“We have seen storm overflows overwhelmed at the best of times in the last few years – that is why we have been campaigning so hard to challenge the water companies to fix this problem and pushing the government to change the law so that they have to.
“If they are not coping when it’s dry, I can’t see how they will work properly in these now all-too frequent conditions.
“There are fields in my constituency flooded with raw sewage. This is not just a local issue, and it needs a coordinated national response, from the government, councils, the water companies, and the Environment Agency.”
The Environment Agency did not comment but pointed out that it has committed £2.4 billion to invest over the next two years to protect people from flooding, and has plans to consult on a new strategic vision for flood investment.
Funding for councils is set to increase, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed.
The government is investing £69 billion of funding into council budgets across England, with Stockport’s provisional settlement for 2025-26 set to be £321.6 million – a £17.7 million increase in ‘core spending power’ from 2024-25.