Concern raised by MP over frequent flooding on St Ninian’s Road …

St. Ninian’s Road by the railway bridge floods regularly due to a culvert for has not been maintained, according to Mr Stevenson.

Concerns have also been raised over the safety and wellbeing of pupils at St John Henry Newman Catholic School, who are having to wade through floodwater to gain access to school, and the impact this may have on school attendance.

John has written to Network Rail and Cumberland Council to ask them to look into the issue as a ‘matter of urgency’.

“I would hope that this issue is resolved as soon as possible and an ongoing maintenance programme is put in place for this area,” said John

“It is not right that residents and school children are having to wade through floodwater on too regular a basis.” 

In response, Cumberland Council admitted that St Ninian’s Road is a ‘problematic location’ but said they would continue to work to address the issue.

A spokesperson for Cumberland Council said: “The culvert on St Ninians Road has an outlet with a non-return flap valve where it outfalls into the Petteril.

“When the river gets above this valve’s level then the water cannot drain away from the road. This mechanism does however prevent the river backing up into the low spot in the road under the Railway Bridge.

“We are aware that in some flooding situations cars find it very difficult to pass through at this location. 

“We were however never specifically informed of this affecting pedestrians. This might be due to Newman being a relatively new school and footfall may now be coming from previously less used routes.

“This is a problematic location due to the low level under the railway bridge and the level of the river.

“We are however not aware of any property flooding at this location and we will continue to work on this matter with our Highways colleagues and monitor the situation.”

References

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