Councillor asks 'why does our town centre keep flooding?'

QUESTIONS over why floods reoccur in a Newbury town centre street were put to West Berkshire Council’s executive committee recently.

Shadow portfolio holder for highways and transport at West Berkshire Council, Keith Woodhams (Lib Dem, Thatcham west), posed the question over why repairs were not being carried out at a pedestrian crossing in Cheap Street, close to Newbury Post Office, after he saw an elderly lady with a wheeled shopping bag unable to use the crossing due to flooding.
However, highways portfolio holder, Pamela Bale (Con, Pangbourne), said that resurfacing works were already due to be carried out there – likely to be in September - and it would cause less disruption to motorists to conduct both works at the same time.
Investigations into the problem found a broken pipe beneath the centre of the road was the cause, said Mrs Bale, who added that most of this work would be carried out overnight so as to cause as little disruption as possible.
Speaking to the NWN after the meeting, Mr Woodhams said: “Year on year, the main pedestrian crossing from the post office to the Kennet Centre is flooded on the eastern side.
“Vehicles have driven through the flood water causing it to wash back over the pavement and pedestrians have had to jump back or face a soaking.
“I have seen elderly pedestrians with shopping trolleys and parents with pushchairs and small children trying to work out how to avoid the flood to cross this busy road junction safely.
“It is an absolute disgrace that the Conservative administration has not sorted out the drainage problem that has been going on, right under their noses for so many years.
“Waiting to resurface the road before works begin to repair a broken pipe which is causing the flood is completely the wrong way to do it. They should carry out the works first then resurface the road afterwards.”