Drenched driver in knee-deep water as he pushes stricken car off flood-hit road

21/03/2024

More motorists are falling victim to a ‘horrendous’ North Staffordshire road frequently left under water. CCTV from one business – on Chemical Lane, in Longport – has captured one drenched driver knee-deep in water pushing their car out of the floodwater.

This week StokeonTrentLive reported ^[1] how fed-up businesses on the stretch say some parts of the road near the A500 are under three-feet of water. It’s an issue which has been ongoing for years with highways officials saying work is continuing for a ‘permanent scheme’ to rectify the problem.

Its location has meant the flooding issue has previously been batted between local authorities along with Network Rail and Severn Trent Water. As business owners wait for a permanent solution, more footage has been shared with StokeonTrentLive to highlight the problems.

READ: Signs go up on North Staffordshire’s newest curry house | Banarasi is opening on the A34 through Newcastle-under-Lyme ^[2]

READ: Fears Berryhill Fields will be gobbled up for housing due to cash-strapped council’s ‘fire sale’ | Campaigners have been fighting to protect the ‘green lungs’ of the city from development for years ^[3]

The latest CCTV shows one van stuck in the floodwater with another clip featuring a driver pushing their car out of the flooding.

Sam Belford, owner of waste management firm Belford Bros, which has a site on Chemical Lane, said: “We’ve had people trying to drive through the flood and their car has cut out so they’ve had to get out and push – and the water comes up to their knees. There was a bloke whose engine blew up driving through it but luckily it was near Moores Metals so they had to take it there. I run 18-tonne lorries and I have a 10-tonne lorry that can just about manage to drive through it because otherwise it would be bringing my business to an absolute halt. The flooding goes above the wheels on the 18-tonne lorries.”

Staffordshire County Council ^[4] – which is responsible for the road – has blamed the issue on a ‘temporary pump system’.

Councillor David Williams, cabinet member for highways, said: “Our highways crews have been made aware of an issue with the temporary pump system used to pump excess water away from the road. An engineer has been sent to the area to help identify and resolve the matter. Our highways teams continue to work on the design of a more permanent scheme which will help prevent the road from flooding during times of heavy rain.”

References

^{^} This week StokeonTrentLive reported (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Signs go up on North Staffordshire’s newest curry house | Banarasi is opening on the A34 through Newcastle-under-Lyme (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Fears Berryhill Fields will be gobbled up for housing due to cash-strapped council’s ‘fire sale’ | Campaigners have been fighting to protect the ‘green lungs’ of the city from development for years (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Staffordshire County Council (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^{^} Sign up to our main daily newsletter here and get all the latest news straight to your inbox for FREE (data.reachplc.com)