Cyclist angry over state of Lancaster’s gutters

Matt Hodges, who lives in Scorton, is fed up of the drains describing them as old, neglected and in a terrible state.

The cyclist uses the A6 and other routes into Lancaster every week and has noticed some gutters have not been cleaned for a number of years.

He said: “Gutters are full of muck and rubbish and in many places are growing grass. A high proportion of gullies are blocked either at the grid or below in the pipe so when it rains they stand full to the brim and the water just flows over them.

“A lot more water runs across the road surface because of this and cars spray it all over cyclists and pedestrians. Some are rusting away to the point of collapse.”

Lancashire County Council are responsible for maintaining and cleaning the city’s highways. Thurnham Street, Greaves Road, Cable Street and parts of the A6 are all areas of concern for the cyclist.

The gully on Thurnham Street, near Penny Street Bridge, has been blocked since April 2013, claims Mr Hodges.

Complaints have been made to Lancashire County Council but some of the gutters and gullies are still yet to be repaired. Mr Hodges said: “As a cyclist and pedestrian the poor rain-water management concerns me. I have made numerous complaints about it, though an odd gully has been cleaned, the bulk of the problems remain and I often don’t get a reply. I do have some sympathy with Lancashire County Council as they struggle to repair potholes and prevent further deterioration while Westminster keeps cutting their funding.”

Paul Dunne, Lancashire County Council highways manager for north Lancashire, said: “We noted during a recent inspection that these drains need to be cleared and have scheduled for the work to be done in the coming weeks.”

“We’re sorry for any inconvenience in the meantime.”