Eynsford Road flooding: still more to do

The small section of Eynsford Road set back from the main A225 and near the junction with Farningham High Street has been subject to flooding problems for many years. I have been trying to get the matter resolved and have written about it here before. Kent County Council drainage engineers have been working on the site on a number of occasions over the last two years and I have been present at a number of site meetings.

Measures taken so far include cleaning the gullies and building up the kerb to deflect water as it comes down the hill on the main road. These have yielded some relief but have proved ineffectual when - as has been the case so often - there has been heavy rainfall.  Officers have identified the system in and around South Hall Close as a likely source of the continuing problem, and have sought to investigate it. However, it has proved hard to investigate a drainage system  running through private land and which has been altered in the past without these alterations having been documented. 

Between January and early March, KCC spent a total of seven days excavating the unregistered lane to locate the pipe. However, it could not be found, leading the Drainage Engineer to believe that at some point a section of it may have been removed. A new job has been raised to return to site and excavate in South Hall Close, where the pipe is undoubtedly still in existence and to work back from there. Once engineers can see what has happened to the pipe, whether it has been removed or redirected, they can then plan how to reconnect it with the existing system. This work should be carried out within the next 28 days - subject, of course, to the possible impact on contractors of staff sickness or absence in self-isolation because of Covid-19.

Residents in Eysnford Road have had to endure many years of flood problems, and recent severe weather has made the problem more acute. Hopefully, the changes to the paperwork can be identified and a solution found.

More progress on Crockenhill water problems

There has been further progress in tackling the problems of water leaks and inundation of properties around Crockenhill Primary School.

The source of the water leak has now been traced, and a new water main has been supplied and connected to the existing service. In the process, a gas main was found which will need to be lowered when a new surface is laid.

These latter remedial works will be carried out in the New Year, when the contractors return to the site to commence the fencing works.

There are still a number of issues to be addressed, but it looks as though progress is now being made after a period of major disruption to both local residents and the school.

Responding to flooding

The heavy rainfall of the last couple of days, coming on top of a long period of wet weather, has triggered some 11 flood alerts across Kent. Kent County Council and its partners activated the County Emergency Centre (emergency planning is an area on which I was briefed extensively after becoming Leader of the Council) and has sought to respond to problems wherever they have arisen.

Some of the most severe pressures have been seen in and around Yalding, Culverstone, Boughton Monchelsea, the River Eden near Edenbridge, Marden and . In the Darent Valley, perhaps the most visible impact has been the overflowing of the Darent and the consequent closure of Riverside in Eynsford. That said, a number of rural roads have also been affected, as have long-standing problem areas such as the lowest-lying houses in Eynsford Road, Farningham, where work continues to find a solution.

For the present, the rainfall and consequent problems appear to be easing. However, with the prospect of wetter winters and a lot of this winter still to go, these issues are not going away. KCC and its partners have honed their responses since the severe impacts over the winter of 2013-14, and we are committing both funds and intense political attention to drainage and flood management, but there is a lot more to be done.

Eynsford Road floods again

Amid today's heavy downpours, I was called by residents in Eysnford Road, Farningham, about flooding in the road that was affecting their properties.

I have written about this problem before, and have been taking it up with Kent Highays officers since last summer. Cleansing and other works have been carried out, and it did seem as though some real progress had been made. But today the problems recurred.

In fact, the earlier works may have had some effect. The picture at the top of this post was taken at the time when the flooding was at its strongest; the picture at the bottom was taken a couple of hours later, at the time when I was able to get there and meet residents. The water had run away more rapidly than would have been the case in the past; not, however, before the waters had reached unacceptably high levels. Clearly more substantial works are required, and I will once more take the issue up with Kent Highways.

Works moving ahead in Gibsons Place

The works that I described in a February post to tackle the flooding problems around Gibsons Place have taken place in two parts. Proceeding to the second stage was very dependent on Kent Highways reaching agreement with the management company for the development, and those works - as shown in the picture - are now well under way.

The first stage of the works was to put a large containment area into the road, with pipes bringing water from the previous, flood-prone gullies and into this storage space. Even on its own, this first phase has had a significant effect, as can be seen from the significant reduction in flooding even in recent periods of heavy rain.

The current phase involves installing further pipework from the High Street to the existing head wall. This is proving to be tricky work, with a lot of utilities to be navigated, and has had a significant impact on residents' access to parts of the development. This should be eased once the works get to the archway towards the back of the development, which (with two crews working on it) should be achieved within a week, weather permitting.

Two pipes will run from the containment area to a catch pit (to remove much of the silt in the water), at which point a single pipe will take the water to discharge into the river. As previously reported, there will be a flap over the end of the pipe to prevent water flowing back into the system when river levels are high.

The works already carried out have had a significant effect, and hopefully the completion of the second stage of the project should see a lasting resolution to this long-standing problem

Flooding in Eynsford

Flooding in Eynsford High Street near Gibson's Place and the bus stop has been a serious problem for a number of years. It has caused significant difficulties for local residents and businesses, such as Norman's the Butchers. I have at a number of points worked with Kent Highways officers to seek both a diagnosis of the problem and ultimately a solution.

A CCTV survey of the area was carried out last year, and it identified that the outfall (ultimately going into the River Darent), which is linked to the foundations of Gibson's Place, is damaged. Officers have been in touch with the landowner, Apex Eynsford Management, to agree solutions.

The current proposal is to put in an extra catch pit in the area by the lay by, and then connect this to an existing chamber. From there it will connect to and discharge into the river. I understand that KCC's drainage engineer for the area will be meeting contractors to discuss the project early next week. At this point there is neither full confirmation of the project (which would require significant traffic management), nor a date, but there is at least some prospect of tackling this long-standing problem.

Pinks Hill bund to be installed

As part of the interim measures to ease the flooding risks to Pinks Hill, it was agreed last autumn that Kent Highways would install a bund on the open space across which much of the water flowed. This would protect some of the most exposed properties. 

These and other interim measures are designed to ease some of the more immediate problems while longer-term measures to address the problems of the lagoon are planned and undertaken.

At a November meeting of Swanley Town Council - which owns the open space - councillors agreed that the bund could sited on their land. Since then, however, there have been delays in its installation. These are apparently caused by an absence of recyclable material to be used in the bund. 

However, I now understand that the work is set to be carried out in the very near future - either tomorrow or early next week. The gang who will work on it are currently completing a project in Edgar Close and should then move over to work on the Pinks Hill bund.

Connect Plus carried out de-silting works on the lagoon before Christmas and these resulted in an immediate drop in water levels of 1.5 metres. It seems that this has had a positive effect over recent weeks, and in addition we have fortunately not seen the rainfall levels of twelve months ago. Nonetheless, installation of the bund should represent a very welcome development.

Pinks Hill: update with the Highways Agency

Accompanied by Kent Highways officers, I met recently with representatives of Connect Plus and the Highways Agency. 

We reviewed the follow up to our site meeting in June. HA/ Connect Plus contractors carried out a range of short-term works (clearing vegetation, in particular around the ditch, cleansing bore holes) earlier in the year and this will be repeated at the time of the usual cycle of maintenance on the lagoon next spring. CCTV work has been carried out to understand flows to and from the lagoon, though more remains to be done to build up the complete picture that is needed to establish the works that will be needed to enhance the lagoon's capacity. These works are likely to involve increasing the overall size of the lagoon and/or adding another deep borehole, but this will be confirmed once the further CCTV works are carried out.

The Highways Agency will shortly be issuing its new severe weather plan, on which Pinks Hill will be identified as a vulnerable location. This should aid the prospect of securing funding for the lagoon works, building on previous plans that were drawn up before last winter's floods. It will also ensure a more timely response in secondary resources attending Pinks Hill.

In the more immediate term, Kent Highways and HA/Connect Plus are agreeing a protocol to deal with crises over the coming winter. It is helpful that both sides use Hydrocleanse for a range of services, such as supplying tankers and carrying out CCTV surveys. It was therefore agreed that residents should be advised to use Kent Highways as their first point of contact; Kent Highways will then dispatch Hydrocleanse tankers and funding will be sorted out between Kent Highways and HA/ Connect Plus afterwards. The soakaway by London Road has enormous capacity and can be used to discharge from tankers.

A process map, setting out the roles and responsibilities of all parties, has been drawn up and agreed.

There is also a need to protect specific properties. Kent Highways is raising an order for bunding work to protect the properties opposite the ditch. Residents will be asked nonetheless to contact Kent Highways if the ditch is threatening to overflow, since there will then be a need to bring tankers into the area before the Kent Highways drainage is overloaded and other parts of the estate are threatened. Kent Highways will also act to deal with other vulnerable individual properties. 

Pinks Hill: the next steps

This week I met on site in Pinks Hill with local residents, our Kent Highways drainage engineer for the area and representatives from Connect Plus (delivery agents for the Highways Agency).

The ditch near the A20, which I have written about before in several posts, remains a major cause for concern. Some weeks ago it filled up rapidly and at some points overtopped. Whereas it was possible to argue that earlier this year we were in the midst of the wettest January since the days of George III, this was heavy but not outlandish levels of rain. The Highways Agency/ Connect Plus undertook significant works on the ditch following our last site meeting in January, but it remains a major worry for local residents.

We took an extensive tour of the site, including the lagoon (pictured - currently at relatively low levels but clearly subject to quite rapid fluctuations). There is further work to be done to establish the direction of flows of water between the lagoon, the ditch and the other side of the A20. Once that is completed, there is likely to be a strong case for works including expanding the lagoon. The Highways Agency were examining such a project earlier in the year, but understandably the immediate crisis took priority.

The meeting was very constructive; at the same time, it is clear that these more structural solutions to the problem will take time. Meanwhile, we will need to establish more immediate ways to protect residents from a recurrence of serious flooding through an agreed contingency plan by the Highways Agency and Kent Highways and if possible additional protection for the properties most immediately affected.

Swanley Sitrep

With further heavy rainfall and flooding taking place, I went to look at the situation in Pinks Hill, Waylands and adjoining roads both last night and again this morning.

Last night, water was once more flowing from the ditch by the A20 across the common land into Pinks Hill and down to Waylands. Once more, the cul de sac in Waylands was heavily inundated, though the water had not quite reached the houses. I asked Kent Highways for both extra flood sacks for the most immediately affected houses in Pinks Hill and for tankers for taking action on the ditch and for Waylands. The flood sacks certainly arrived; I am a lot less sure about the tankers.

This morning, the situation had eased considerably in terms of water runoff, but the ditch itself was very full. I spoke to some local residents and some Highways Agency contractors who were carrying out some cleansing of the (Kent Highways) road drains.

What is a lot less clear is what will happen with the works in the ditch. There is little doubt that the ditch is filling up from another source, whether the A20 itself, the lagoon or sources to the other side of the A20. What is much less clear is what the precise root of that inflow is, and whether and how the current works - which appear in any case to have been suspended - will ease this. I am asking for answers to these questions from the HA.

Pinks Hill flooding: the misery continues

Water running onto Pinks Hill at about 3PM

Yet again, heavy rainfall in the latter part of the week has caused severe flooding in Pinks Hill and neighbouring roads. I visited again this afternoon and toured the site with some local residents.

The flow of water on to Pinks Hill was very rapid, though I understand somewhat less so than was the case this morning. In that case it must have been an absolute torrent earlier in the day. The water continues to run from the ditch next to the A20 across the common land to Pinks Hill. Nearby homes are currently protected by flood sacks. The water then runs down the road, diverting into Waylands. However, the water there has been contained and I understand that both Kent Highways and the Highways Agency have been on site with suckers and tankers.

The Highways Agency was due to start work on the ditch and pipes that run from it on Thursday (post of 27 January). This work did commence, though so far it appears to have been limited to tree clearing. The ditch is now very full of water indeed, across a wider area and at a much higher level than I have seen before. With this depth of water, it is not clear how and when the works can be taken forward.

High water levels in the ditch

We also examined the A20 lagoon and found it to be at a worryingly high level. The Highways Agency installed a pump there yesterday, though thus did not appear to be running when we visited.

Residents have asked that the ditch be pumped out to stop the flow of water at its source. I have asked Kent Highways to do this, although it is not clear when the optimal time would be to carry out pumping.

This is now turning into a matter of enormous concern and frustration for residents. It appeared after our site visit that we had a way forward; we now need to establish whether we have simply seen our course of action delayed by the very severe downpours of the last couple of days, or whether that way forward is no longer valid. If the latter is the case, we urgently need another.

Site meeting to tackle Pinks Hill flooding

In the latter part of last week, I had a phone call from a senior manager at the Highways Agency to discuss the problems on the High Firs estate, especially Pinks Hill (post of 19 January). He told me that the Highways Agency and contractors would be on site shortly to examine issues with the ditch that takes water runoff from the A20 to the lagoon nearby. We subsequently agreed that this could provide the basis for a site meeting involving the Highways Agency, KCC/ Kent Highways and local residents. That meeting, which I attended, took place this morning.

Contrary to my earlier belief, the lagoon appears to be working satisfactorily. Significant works were undertaken in 2009, adding a large borehole to enhance the runoff and soaking away of water; it is equipped for everything up to a 1 in 100 years storm. However, there are clearly significant problems with the ditch. Fencing surrounding the ditch is in poor condition and a great deal of debris has been dumped near the entrance to the pipe that takes the water to the lagoon. Result: the pipe has become blocked, water builds up near the pipe and entrance and then runs down the ditch to exit at its lowest point, near the common land where heavy flows of water have been observed.

The Highways Agency's contractor was on site as well this morning and will undertake extensive works on the pipe (as well as the course of the ditch itself, to prevent water overflowing at the point where it currently does). This should be within the next two weeks; I will update with another post. Over the longer term, there is need to confirm ownership of the fence (Kent Highways undertook to check this) and ensure that it is reinforced. This might not stop debris being dumped there, but it would surely help.

There are a number of other issues to be taken forward, including the buildup of water that has taken place rather higher up on the common ground; this appears to have contributed to the flooding then days ago, and there is still a lot of stagnant water there. Kent Highways undertook to examine its drainage network in the area to see if there is any linkage to this problem, and to examine a number of drainage issues related to individual properties.

Altogether, a very positive site meeting with clear actions coming out of it. I will post updates as and when we have further news, but hopefully this will offer some relief for residents. The most immediate concern is that the works cannot take place immediately, so that problems could recur with further heavy rain in the coming days. Kent Highways has undertaken to provide further flood sacks later today.

Flooding on the High Firs estate

Ever since the heavy downpour on the night of 23-24 December, residents of the High Firs estate, and in particular those living in parts of Pinks Hill, have been subject to severe flooding. The water has run over common land to the rear of a some houses on Pinks Hill, affecting both the houses and the road. The problem has recurred with each significant rainfall.

I have been on site several times and have spoken to a number of residents; Kent Highways have attended the scene, as have other agencies, notably the Fire and Rescue Service. The problem, however, has proved intractable and a cause of huge distress to residents. Events took a turn for the worse on Thursday night, when there was another downpour. A row of sandbags were put in place to protect the Pinks Hill properties, diverting the water down the road and into Waylands. A number of storm drains were opened with the intention of draining the water off. However, parts of the road, and in particular the cul de sac section of Waylands, were under quite deep water - as the picture, which I took when I visited on Friday evening, attests.

The main difficulty has been to establish the root cause of the flooding, though it is thought widely that it may well be overflow from the nearby Highways Agency lagoon, which is designed to capture runoff from the A20. If the lagoon is full, or is for any other reason unable to take the water running from the main road, then the water has nowhere to go but over the common land and into Pinks Hill.

The lagoon has a history of problems. Over a year ago, I worked with Kent Highways officers to check with the Highways Agency that adequate maintenance was taking place (silting up of the lagoon had been a cause of flooding in the past). The situation appeared to be under control (post of 23 October 2012), and it may well be that, even if the lagoon is the source of the flooding, this may be nothing to do with lack of maintenance - for example, the lagoon may simply not be big enough to take the current volumes of water. In any case, this is what needs to be established.

Highways Agency staff have been on site on a number of occasions, but what is clearly needed is a fuller and more systematic discussion of the problem than has so far been possible. Many residents want a site meeting with all the key parties present, and that is what is needed. I will continue to press to get one in place.