Lib Dem councillors have called for an investigation into the clearing of drains in the borough following the flooding of Wood Green’s shopping centre last Friday afternoon. Cllr Bob Hare, who speaks for the party on environment issues, says that Haringey Council needs to seek immediate assurances from Thames Water that adequate systems are in place to prevent such floods in the future.

Cllr Hare says that following the torrential downpour last Friday afternoon, Wood Green’s Safeway arcade was flooded out. Further down the High Road, passengers who were taking buses outside Marks and Spencer had to wade through water to climb on board. Drains backing up spewed filthy water on to the streets, with consequent pollution from diesel and rubber particles coming back up the drainage system and onto the busy shopping street.

Cllr Hare is now seeking assurances from Haringey Council that its contract with Thames Water for clearing drains is being properly monitored and implemented. In recent months, he has taken photographs of many blocked drains across the borough, including drains in the Wood Green area.

Cllr Bob Hare comments:

“We need assurances from Haringey Council that drains in Haringey are being cleared at the appropriate intervals, to help prevent these sorts of floods. In major centres such as Wood Green, this should be done every three months, but many drains seem to be blocked. The disruption last week was unacceptable for local businesses, and will no doubt result in insurance claims from some of the businesses that were flooded.The Council needs to take urgent steps to ensure that the contract for drain clearances is being properly implemented. Haringey’s drains are generally in a poor state, and action needs to be taken.”