By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
Residents who were tapped for days due to flooding on their street during Storm Henk have signed a petition calling for action to prevent it happening again.
Storm Henk was the eighth storm of the 2023/24 season, according to the Met Office.
It caused widespread flooding across Nottinghamshire and hundreds of households were forced to evacuate at the beginning of January.
In Nottingham, the storm caused the closure of Wilford Lane for four days, leaving some residents trapped inside their homes.
Many said the flood waters had been filled with sewage, after a pumping system that runs to the River Trent was overwhelmed as water levels almost reached record levels.
Tom Edwards, who has lived in Wilford Lane for 20 years, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I was trapped for two days.
“This is the worst it has been. The road flooding is a relatively new thing. It got within two or three inches of my home.
“The council says it is something to do with the pumping system and when the Trent gets too high it does not work.
“The whole of the front of my house was flooded with sewage. It is hazardous.”
Another resident, Rachel, said the road had flooded twice over the past year alone and called on Nottingham City Council and other relevant authorities to take action.
“It was two feet high in places,” she said.
“Some people were trapped. There were sanitary products floating in the water and it smelled.
“It was major. Something needs to be put in place. It is a real concern, it is a huge health hazard.
“We’ve only been here a year. We’ve got together as a road so we are going to be doing everything we can.”
During Full Council on Monday, January 15, Clifton West councillor Andrew Rule (Ind) asked the authority to commit to undertaking a review of drainage
capacity “to ensure that everything that can be done to prevent a future occurrence of flooding.”
Responding council leader Cllr David Mellen (Lab) said the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities requires 50 or more homes to be internally flooded before it grants financial support.
However he said investigatory work will be taking place and added: “Nottingham City Council, as the Highways Authority and the lead Flood Authority, will liaise with Severn Trent Water, the Environment Agency and Nottinghamshire County Council to understand why the public highway flooded during Storm Henk, particularly along Wilford Lane.
“As you are aware some of Wilford Lane is in the city and some is in the county, and we need to work together on that. These discussions between the various risk management authorities will include investigations into surface water management, sewer and drainage capacity and asset maintenance on Wilford Lane.
“The outcomes of these discussions and investigations will determine if suitable mitigation actions can be undertaken to prevent a re-occurrence of flooding in this location.”
Speaking after the meeting Cllr Rule (Ind), who had been working with residents in the floods, said: “I definitely think a joint approach is the most appropriate way of going forward between Severn Trent, Tramlink, the council and a discussion with Rushcliffe and the County, given the likely impact of the Lidl and Aldi developments on the flooding.
“There is an existing issue with the drainage network underneath the tram lines that flows into the Trent, but when the Trent hits a certain heights the valves shut and it backs up. We do need to look at how we address that.”
Nottinghamshire County Council has been contacted for comment.
