Works take place to tackle Colchester Cowdray Avenue flooding

Essex Highways has undertaken gully cleansing in Cowdray Avenue.

The busy road, which takes drivers into the city centre, is a hotspot for flooding issues and has been a bane for motorists for a number of years.

City centre councillor Steph Nissen said the maintenance work comes after "months of lobbying".

Happy - city centre councillor Steph Nissen was delighted to see the works take place (Image: Steph Nissen)

She said: “There is a pipe which runs from the holes in the kerb to the ditch which was absolutely blocked as it had not been cleaned out in years.

“I saw the cleaning taking place - and then the water running off the road into the pipe as it should.”

The issue of flooding in Cowdray Avenue has been a longstanding issue.

The inside lane of the westwards carriageway typically gets flooded, with all vehicles forced into the outside lane, while flood water also regularly covers the pavement.

Issue - previous flooding in Cowdray Avenue (Image: Steph Nissen)

The road is particularly bad for motorists during heavier rainfall.

Ms Nissen added: “I am confident it will make a massive difference for road users and pedestrians.

“It is something residents have been raising with me for about two years, and I have known homeowners to have times when the water was less than a metre form their properties.

“I have been down since when there has been little rainfall, and it has seemed normal which is great.”

The Castle ward councillor also said she has requested an annual clean for maintenance purposes.

Clean - Essex Highways has carried out gully cleansing in Cowdray Avenue (Image: Steph Nissen)

A spokesman for Essex Highways said: “We visited Cowdray Avenue to carry out gully cleansing earlier this month.

“Works are also currently taking place to investigate issues with standing water by Meadow Mews. These are set to finish on Friday.

“We carry out inspections and drain cleaning across the county every year.

“However, due to heavy rainfall, it can take some time for increased water levels to drain in maintained gullies, or ditches and drainage owned by water authorities.

“When road flooding issues are reported to us, we visit the site and carry out gully cleansing and jetting if necessary.

“To maximise our resources, we must prioritise issues according to their risk.

“We encourage residents to report issues through at essexhighways.org/tell-us.”