A councillor has called for action to deal with serious flooding problems on one of Tyneside’s busiest roads.
Huge pools of rain water collecting in underpass sections of the Coast Road in Newcastle during heavy downpours has been an issue for many years.
Flash flooding led to the A1058 having to be closed a couple of weeks ago, causing problems for football fans trying to get to Newcastle United’s match against Liverpool at St James’ Park.
And motorists arriving at the Chillingham Road underpass in Heaton during Sunday afternoon’s deluge, which also caused travel chaos for runners leaving South Shields after the Great North Run, were again confronted by deep waters.
Local councillor Greg Stone has called on Newcastle City Council to investigate what drainage problems there are at the problem spot, which is one of the major routes in and out of the city.
The Lib Dem councillor, who represents the Manor Park ward, said: “The underpasses at the Chillingham Road and Benfield Road junctions have suffered from pooling in heavy rain conditions for at least 20 years if not longer.
“Assurances are needed on whether the level of maintenance of gullies and the pump mechanism are adequate at these locations.
“I am aware of suggestions that the main road drain capacity may have been compromised in the vicinity of Benfield Road junction by contractors allowing waste construction materials to get into the drains some years ago.
“I would welcome video inspection of the drainage under the Coast Road but I recognise that if a problem is detected, fixing it is likely to require significant engineering disruption to A1058 traffic.”
Newcastle City Council confirmed that it will review whether gullies on the Coast Road can be cleaned more regularly to prevent them being blocked.
A spokesperson said: “The road gullies on the Coast Road are cleaned annually to reduce the risk of flooding and ensure the public can use the road safely. However, there are times when the gullies may become blocked or are unable to cope following a period of heavy rainfall.
“The Council will review cleaning the gullies on a more regular basis to remove any waste that has been washed into the channels which can cause blockages. The area cannot be accessed by a mechanical sweeper due to the crash barrier so the work will need to be carried out by hand.
“The Council is also planning to undertake some repairs to the drainage infrastructure at the Benfield Road junction.”
