Street 'inches deep in water' in York village prompts concerns and probe

Liberal Democrat activists Andrew Mortimer and Luke Draper said large parts of Heslington’s Main Street and Heslington Lane were submerged following heavy downpours over the August bank holiday weekend.

Yorkshire Water has launched a probe after the downpour left the streets submerged.

A York Council spokesperson said they would support the investigation and work closely with Yorkshire Water on any necessary solutions.

Coun Kate Ravilious, the council’s Labour transport spokesperson, said any issues should be reported through the proper channels.

It comes after the stretch of Heslington Lane from Fulford Golf Club to Heslington Hall was left underwater along with the part of Main Street outside the village’s Post Office.

Mr Mortimer said he had never seen so much water on the roads after a downpour.

He added they had asked the council and Yorkshire Water to explain what happened and prevent a repeat of it.

Mr Mortimer said: “The streets were inches deep in water which in many places stretched right across the road.”

Mr Draper said there was so much water coming out of the drains that if lifted many of the large manhole covers in the streets.

He said: “Not only did this create the flooding problem but more worryingly a danger for any pedestrian or road users who were not able to see the open covers because of the standing water.”

Yorkshire Water is set to look into whether the flooding was caused by heavy rain overwhelming drains or a drainage network problems, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands.

Coun Kate Ravilious, the council’s Labour transport spokesperson, said there was no record of the Liberal Democrats having reported the issue to the council.

The executive member said: “For anyone wanting to report a problem, it’s really important they do this through the council’s reporting channels so that prompt action can be taken to investigate as soon as possible.”