A STREET in Cardiff has been flooding on and off for at least two years with crisp packets and other litter washing into gardens.
Nick Johnson, who has lived in Station Terrace in Ely for more than two years, said the street floods even when there is minimal rainfall.
When there is heavy rain he said his garden gets flooded and becomes littered with crisp packets, fizzy drinks cans, and other street rubbish.
Cardiff Council said there was a combined flow Welsh Water sewer at Station Terrace and council officers will visit “as soon as is possible” to check if gullies on the street are blocked.
Nick, 40, said:”It is only six houses on this street. I do speak to neighbours quite often and they are just fed up of it.
“One lady has a little girl at the end of the road. She hasn’t got a car so she has got to walk through this big puddle with her little girl to take her to school.”
Recalling the time when his garden flooded Nick said: “We had done the garden last year and so it [was] all nice and then it was to my surprise when I stepped out of my door and I couldn’t see the stones in my garden. It was just flooded. My garden was just full of litter where the water had washed down.”
Heavy rain struck large parts of south Wales, including Cardiff, on Thursday February 8, and the Met Office has a yellow weather warning in place for rain over the city until 6am on Friday, February 9.
The flooding normally occurs during the winter months and Nick claimed he has been reporting the issue to the council for the past couple of years but it still hasn’t been resolved.
He said: “It is just as bad as ever today. It was even coming on to the pathway outside my house it has gone that bad.”
Although he is lucky enough to have a car to avoid having to walk his daughter to school via the flooded street the father-of-one said it still gets in the way.
He added: “I think every house has got children in this street. I think whatever the weather they do like to get out on the street and play.
“You can’t even go on the street with a bike because it is basically flooded every time it rains. It is a massive issue.”
A Cardiff Council spokesman said on Thursday: “Available records indicate that there is a combined flow Welsh Water sewer at this location. The highway gullies should discharge the surface water from the road into the sewer below.
“Although the team is busy due to the poor weather conditions council officers will visit as soon as is possible to check whether the gullies are blocked.
“When there is heavy rainfall, as we have had last night and today the drainage systems can get full which creates ‘ponding’ on the road surface. Until the water disperses and there is capacity in the sewers, there may be excess water on the highway.
“The council is responsible for clearing 80,000 highways gullies across the city but we are not responsible for the capacity of all the drainage system as a significant amount of water enters public sewers managed by Welsh Water.
“The council has a committed team of staff that work across the city, especially in areas that are prone to flooding, to clear drains and gullies.
“If cars are parked on the side of the road obstructing the gullies then they are unable to be cleared, which is a common issue.
“Drains can also become blocked by builders using the gullies and drains to discard cement wash, which can block the drain and is very difficult to remedy.
“The highways team provides a 24-hour emergency service during flooding events to ensure properties and infrastructure are protected as best as possible.”
