Bolton: Westhoughton flash floods leave residents wanting action

Cllr David Wilkinson, Liberal Democrat’s representative of the Westhoughton South ward, has called on the local authority to do more to help drain away surface water following a spell of adverse weather.

On Thursday, after one such spell of rainfall, multiple locations we subject to flooding, causing issues to pedestrians, motorists and homeowners.

Photographs from Thursday show flooding on the A6, past Metal Box Way towards the white Horse Pub, as well as Birch Avenue under water. Videos posted on social media also show one resident’s back garden completely submerged in rainwater on Manchester Road.

The resident said: "It happened again during last night's downpour (September 8).

"We had the council out and it's ongoing at the moment to see what can be done.

"The garden is full of litter and silt from the dirty water but not sewage, and under the house has about a foot of water sat there."

Westhoughton flooding on the A6, past Metal Box Way towards the White Horse Pub on Thursday (Image: Cllr David Wilkinson)

Cllr Wilkinson says that, although flooding is always going to be likely in such circumstances, work could be done to ensure the water drains away much more quickly.

He said: “It’s always a problem when you get a vast quantity of water in a short space of time, but a large number of the gully grids are blocked.

“The grids can’t take any more water. There’s nowhere for it to go.

“It’s always going to flood, I’m afraid to say, when so much comes down in a short space of time but it certainly doesn’t help that the grids are blocked.”

Cllr Wilkinson says he brought this issue up in a recent council meeting and was told that the drains on main roads are cleared once a year, whereas on residential roads it is every two years.

“Well, that’s a load of rubbish,” he added.

“This is one of the problems we have in Bolton.

Westhoughton flooding on Birch Avenue on Thursday (Image: Claire Ashcroft)

“Residents complain to me all the time and Bolton Council and they don’t respond. I’ve complained many times.

“It seems to be a complete failure from this Tory administration.”

In response, a council spokesperson said: “There are no outstanding reports on these roads.

"Cyclic cleaning is carried out on drains and individual cases of blocked trains are dealt with when we are notified.”

Another contributing factor could be the high volume of houses that have been built in the area in recent year.

Cllr Wilkinson said: “At one time we had vast quantities of open space. You would have fields and fields to soak it up.

“Where there are roads it’s a vicious circle. Roads create more localised flooding.

“Another thing is driveways with no soak away. It just runs off into gardens and into the street.

He added: “Sadly, because of a number of cuts, especially to with housing and highways, things that should have been solved haven’t been solved. We’ve made a rod for our won backs.”

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