Drains

Most highway drains are only being cleaned once per year around April in the village. They should actually be done Oct/Nov after autumn-leaf-fall and most farm-harvest-debris was dumped on the carriageway. This would improve road (and pedestrian) safety during the wet and freezing winter weather. Further for highway safety a minimum of both these 6-monthly cleaning cycles should be done yearly because rural comunities have high farm/field vehicle activity dropping above average debris onto the roads, especially going to the processing plants (ie Staple, Leggates, etc.).

Why is the April clean made in ignorance of the actual need?

Note, some drains in key positions havn't been touched for several years because of an atypical design or buried by farm debris and unseen. After reports on FixMyStreet 4 months later and LCC-Highways still "investigating", rediculous. Investigating drainage in dry weather is beyond a joke.

Rural transport business hubs are using "light use roads" that are not designed for the articulated lorry(s) weight, stressing and breaking up the road structure. Compounded by hydraulic errosion from tyre and ponding surface water because gully drains are blocked.

Why aren't "cleaners" using a map to verify all gully drains are done?

Where are the in-house LCC cleaning services? putting "work out to tender" shouldn't be an option, in-house equipment has cost saving benefits when predictable work repeats yearly, and no profit levy for private company, plus no artificial delay by contract negotiation to actually doing the work. Taxpayers' funds should not be squandered by such inexcusable mismanagement.

Finally, ponding roadway water and sludge from blocked drains gets sprayed onto the pedestrian footway, a hazzard in itself, which then freezes during winter and spring months. Another failure by LCC to comply with Parliamentary legislation obligations.

Local roads in question - A52, Common Road, Tooley Lane, Gowt Bank.

More than a dozen gully drains remain blocked 4+ months after notification on FixMyStreet.