Flooding on Bolsover Road

After the recent flooding on Bolsover Road, twice in June, the residents sent a petition to the council asking why this had happened.

A report, in response, was presented to the North and West Planning Area Board on 11th September 2007. This explains that there's a public sewer down Bolsover Road, as well as a culverted stream known as the Firth Park Watercourse. This joins Bagley Dyke lower down, and runs under the houses with odd numbers (south side) on Bolsover Road. The sewer is the responsibility of Yorkshire Water, and the watercourse is the responsibility of the person who owns the banks in which it runs. According to council inspections, “There are no serious problems with the watercourse culvert and there's no evidence of any blockages…”

However, the report says, “Site inspections have shown that there appears to be, or have been, problems with the public sewerage system. Manholes have been observed surcharged with flow nearly up to the cover level and this would be reflected in water/sewer back up within local sewers/drains around properties on both sides of the road. Leakages from old pipes could well then create flooding of cellars etc. The problems would only occur during times of heavy rain.”

In conclusion, the flood problem has almost certainly been due to the blockages and/or undercapacity in the public sewers. It is therefore the responsibility of Yorkshire Water, not the council.