AS WE watch the dreadful flooding in Cumbria on our TV screens, it seems wrong to complain about the consequences of the heavy rain that we've had in West Sussex.
Nevertheless, a huge amount of rain has fallen over the last couple of weeks, which has caused minor floods in some areas.
West Sussex staff are brilliant in a crisis. Following the hurricane in 1987, and during the floods in Chichester in 1994,
the fire and rescue service and highways staff worked long hours rescuing people in difficulties at home or in their cars, helping to keep flood water out of properties, dealing with fallen trees, clearing drains and signing alternative routes around blocked roads.
This year, on the night of November 13, highways staff received 240 emergency calls and worked hard to minimise disruption to motorists over the weekend.
The fire and rescue service received over 100 weather-related calls, from flooded factories and lightning strikes to helping to issue sandbags to coastal properties, when the sea threatened to breach the sea defences.
I would like to thank them all for their efforts on behalf of all residents. However, in Cumbria, people are beginning to say that the council should have dealt with long-term problems over the years.
Here in West Sussex there are also areas that flood regularly and have not been dealt with.
One of the reasons for problems within town centres is poor maintenance of drains and gullies. Sometimes gullies can't be emptied because cars are parked over the gullies when cleaning is scheduled.
Sometimes it's because long periods of drought followed by sudden downpours cause blockages.
But mostly, it's because drainage pipes are old and cracked or blocked and need replacing. One of my constituents complained this week about flooding in Horsham's Brighton Road. He was told that the drainage would be upgraded in about four years time!
This is simply not acceptable. The highways department recently mapped its drainage network.
Staff will now record the frequency of gully emptying at every site and the volume of sludge removed from each gully when emptied.
This will allow maintenance to be targeted, with gullies that fill quickly being emptied more frequently than those that flow freely for long periods.
This is a useful step forward, but our Conservative council must invest in preventive maintenance. Last year there was not enough salt for our roads.
This year, the crisis seems to be water.
Is the council doing enough to plan for unexpected weather events?
