Concerns over drainage in flood-hit Mosterton

Blocked drains are being blamed for the problem in Mosterton.

One house and at least four garages in the village were flooded as a result of heavy rain on Monday.

A crew from Bridport Fire Station were called to Bowes Lane to pump water from a house. Water affected the kitchen and rear courtyard.

This week's incident was not a one off, as water rose to around nine inches following torrential rain last month.

Gerald Sivyer, who lives on Chedington Lane just off Bowes Lane, believes the issue is with the drainage system. He claims the drains 'can't cope' – but nothing is being done to offer a solution.

Mosterton has flooded twice in the past two months Picture: Gerald Sivyer

Mr Sivyer had to open both his side gate and his garage door on Monday to ensure the rising water did not find its way into his home.

He said: "I was petrified it was going to come in but when I opened garage and front gate, it diverted the water through those and then thankfully the rain began to ease.

"If the rain is fairly heavy for more than an hour we’re at risk – if it hadn’t stopped raining it could have been a much bigger issue.

"The road was still flooded (Tuesday) morning because the drains just won’t take it.

"I’m paying £300 council tax a month and I’m still getting flooded – I feel like I’m banging my head against the wall."

Dorset Council has responsibility for unblocking public drains.

Mr Sivyer said he had spoken with Dorset Council to ensure they were aware of the problem but claimed the council has not provided any solution.

He said: "I haven't been able to get any sense out of anybody, nobody seems to want to know.

"If I’m out or away for the day the house could be flooded, which would be a disaster."

Mr Sivyer had to open his side gate to allow the water to flow through Picture: Gerald Sivyer

A Dorset Council spokesman said: “Several areas appear to have been affected by flash flooding events and our Flood Risk Management Team are in the process of investigating these.

“We’ve not yet received a formal report of flooding (at Mosterton) but we are making enquiries with the parish council. Flooding can be reported online via the Dorset Council website."

Concerns about flooding in the area were also raised when plans were submitted for 40 homes in the village.

There were fears at the time that building on the site could add to the risk of flooding and residents claimed the sewage system is already at capacity with occasional backflow problems. The plan has since been withdrawn.

A new proposal has since been put forward, which would see up to nine homes built to the east of the Paddocks. The proposal includes a strategy to tackle flooding issues with with the addition of a storage pond, with approximately 155m³ of storage volume, in the south-east corner of the site.