Baughurst villager foots bill for flood damage despite repeated complaints to council

Clare Smiley, who lives in Grade II-listed Pound Cottage, along the Kingsclere to Baughurst Road, said that for the past 10 years, her home had fallen victim to flooding, particularly in the last three years, during which time the drain outside her property had become blocked.
Despite persistent phone calls to the council, which became more frequent since the issue worsened in February, and despite a 21-signature from local residents demanding action, the council did not deem the work urgent.
However last week, as severe weather warnings loomed, Mrs Smiley contacted the council following further flooding to her home, and finally saw some progress when engineers were sent to the site.
She said: “We have been reporting it since February. They have ignored it, ignored it and ignored it. We have given them every opportunity to do this – it’s appalling.”
As a result of the flooding, the family now has to re-plaster the cottage walls owing to rising damp, replace a perforated window caused by water being thrown over the hedgerows by passing HGVs, and install further damp-proofing materials.
In previous years they have had to replace wooden flooring more than once.
Speaking recently, as engineers left the scene, Mrs Smiley said: “They have worked all weekend. It just shows it was a major job which I have been trying to tell them for 10 full years.”
When asked why the work had taken so long to complete, the executive member for transport and environment at Hampshire County Council, Seán Woodward (Con, Fareham Salisbury) said: “Blocked gullies are initially inspected and cleared of any visible blockages.
“If problems persist, specialist equipment is brought in to jet the pipework. If this fails to fully resolve the problem, we undertake a CCTV survey to identify why the drainage system is not working properly.
“It is only after all this work has been done that it’s possible to see the extent of any damage to underground pipes and culverts, and to consider what remedial measures may be required.
“This particular culvert was inspected and jetted earlier in the year and assessed to require remedial work, but as it was still in reasonable condition we assessed it to be not as urgent as other drainage works in the area.
“This gulley was kept under review and programmed for later works. Unfortunately the condition appears to have deteriorated more quickly than anticipated and that’s why we now have contractors fixing it as a priority.
“Highways teams have installed new drainage which appears to have solved the issues at Stoney Heath. There is still clearing up to do and the situation will continue to be monitored.”
Mrs Smiley said the family was considering claiming for compensation for the council to cover some of the costs of repair to their home caused by the flooding.