Residents in flood-hit areas of Kettering may have to wait for five years for drainage relief project

Flood-hit Kettering residents living in the path of a culverted stream have been told they may have to wait for five years for a solution – and that’s only if funding can be found.

At the East Brook Culvert meeting hosted by North Northants Council (NNC) last night, dozens of residents were told there was no quick fix to the flooding and in the meantime to protect their homes.

Chaired by Cllr David Brackenbury, NNC’s executive member for growth and regeneration, a panel of flood specialists assembled to listen to residents’ concerns. Representatives from Kier, Anglian Water and the Environment Agency joined NNC officers.

Rob Harbour, NNC’s assistant director, growth and regeneration, said: “We want to take forward a project to find a long-term solution. We hope it’s going to help a whole load of residents.

“What’s key is that we work together. If we are pulling together we can get there quicker.”

Running from north to south from beyond Weekley Wood Lane to the Slade Brook on the Pytchley Road Industrial Estate, the 4km long East Brook was once a small stream on the eastern edge of Kettering.

Culverting began in 1910 following calls from residents and businesses to cover over the East Brook stream – classified as an ‘ordinary watercourse’ – as Kettering expanded.

Residents living alongside the East Brook say it has been flooding for more than 70 years but with more intense rainstorms hitting more often, calls have been made to find a solution.

With some parts used as a sewer and some unauthorised additions over the years, the mish-mash network remains unplotted despite attempts with a CCTV camera following previous flooding.

Ryan Keyte, Kier’s senior flood and water officer, said: “There was a drainage CCTV survey but there are still a large number of unknowns.”

The camera identified 98 cracks and 54 fractures in culvert pipes with a ‘significant cluster of defects’ in the Mill Road to Belvedere Road stretch. The camera found the most blockages in the Avondale Road area – one of the most badly-hit flood zones. But the survey was limited to one area, not covering the whole 4km.

Using hydraulic modelling predicting drain flow rates and the shape of channels, Mr Keyte said his results showed there would be a ‘negligible’ difference between ‘doing nothing’ and returning the culvert to its original condition.

Mr Keyte said: “This suggests capacity not condition and it would need a a drainage improvement scheme rather than maintenance."

Outlining the possible total five-to-six year timeline for the project, the meeting was told that at the conclusion of the on-going Section 19 flood investigation report, funding sources would have to be identified and bids made for Government funding to pay for any drainage improvement project.

Funds would also have to be found by NNC. Further surveys would have to be made to decide which bits of the existing system may be worth keeping and then the whole project would have to be approved by NNC and the Environment Agency. Only then could work begin.

Unhappy flood-hit residents were told by Tyler Bennett from NNC’s emergency planning team that in the meantime they could invest in their own private flood defences.

He said: “There are simple things to divert water away from buildings – sandbags, floodgates and toilet blocks that are relatively simple and quick.”

During a question-and-answer session, residents complained they had not received a Section 19 flood investigation survey despite being in the flood zone.

From 605 letters delivered, so far 81 responses had been returned – with 45 households reporting they had been affected by flooding.

They had only found out about the meeting by reading the Northants Telegraph or by word of mouth from neighbours.

Flood victim Steve Smith said: “We all realise it’s a lot of work, but we are not the cause of this problem. Shouldn’t we be getting some sort of help? We are not the cause of this.”

Residents said the gullies outside their homes were often blocked and called for regular emptying and cleaning by Kier.

Mr Harbour promised to try to get gullies in the affected areas cleansed more regularly and urged residents to report any blocked drains to Fix My Street and Street Doctor and all flooding events to the online portal https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/flooding/report-flood. He also encouraged anyone who had not yet filled in the online consultation form to do so.

He said: “We can still gather that information and we are still happy to gather that data. We need to provide an holistic approach to the East Brook Culvert.”

Alastair Windler, the Welland and Nene team leader for the Environment Agency, said he was optimistic that funding could be found for any future drainage scheme.

He said: “This is a whole town. It can be really expensive so this is on a community scale. We don’t want there to be any blockers to this. I am optimistic to find a solution. We are very good at preparing bids and we are working very closely with Anglian Water and the unitary authority (NNC)."

Laura Jenkins lives in Digby Street where her garden has been flooded with foul water and sewage three times in the past year alone.

Her partner Matt Reese said: “We had no idea about this meeting until I read about it online in the Northants Telegraph. It’s nice to know that we are not alone. There’s not a solution yet, but it’s a first step.”

Mr Smith, who lives in a block of flat that floods, said: “I think it’s a good starting point. It makes me feel more positive but it’s not going to stop the floods. I would like to see some provision of temporary measures. I’ve never seen so much as a sandbag.”

Residents can still fill in the East Brook Culvert Flood investigation by clicking here.