Wheathampstead Magazine
Lamer Lane Still Flooding
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It seems that every time there is heavy rain, the drains supporting various local roads simply cannot cope with the deluge of water and so can, and often do get badly flooded and that is exactly what seems to happen in Lamer Lane, Gustard Wood.
Local people have reported their concerns on various occasions that this well used road can become a dangerous place when it floods. One local resident told us that not only is this a danger to all road users and impassable to pedestrians, the road surface is starting to break up.
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“Lamer Lane can get quite busy in peak times and when the road is flooded, traffic, including cyclists, tends to use the centre of the road to avoid the deep water on the side. Clearly this puts motorists and cyclists at risk and is surely an accident waiting to happen.”
This is an issue for the Highways Department at the County Council as they are responsible, amongst other things, for roads and drainage. And they told us, “There are no main drains at this location. The surface water drainage entirely relies on soakaways, with a limited number of gullies and shallow/narrow highway ditches. Ditch clearance does help a little, but due to the ditch capacity and heavy lorry movements, the ditches become ineffective again after a short time.”
They added that, “Residents are advised to report flooding incidents and discuss their concerns with their local county councillor. When flooding is reported a response team will visit the site. They will erect warning signs should it be necessary.”
If you have any concerns or comments for the Highways team about this please email:
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cschighways@hertfordshire.gov.uk
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