Flooding anguish as garden underwater

Marie Fretwell at her Middle Deepdale property viewing the poorly drained garden . pic Richard Ponter 161705a

In September, Joe Hilton and Marie Fretwell’s home was one of two properties to have the living room flooded overnight as torrential rain poured into their home.

They moved into their house on Wayside Grove, on the new Middle Deepdale development, and drainage in the garden was installed following the severe flooding during the winter.

But despite its installation, the garden is still flooded whenever it rains and the ground is muddy and unsafe.

Mr Hilton said: “Water gathers at one side of my path and doesn’t drain away.

“I obtained and moved to this address so our youngest Callum, who is aged 11 but has a mental age of six and suffers from ADHD Autism and Foetal Alcohol syndrome, could have a garden to play in.

“Due to his conditions he cannot play out safely in the surrounding areas with other children so his garden is a must for his stimulation and respite. Since we moved into our property, he has been unable to use the garden as it never dries out.

“There’s no drainage whatsoever under our garden so the water never leaves and only tops up with every rainfall. If this isn’t solved, we will have to contemplate moving so my young son can have the garden he needs.”

Eastfield councillor Tony Randerson has spoken to a couple of residents who have faced similar problems and says he has expressed this  issue to Sanctuary Housing.

He said: “When it was first suggested it caused quite a bit of concern between councillors and residents that the drainage was not to be desired because of how the land flooded. We were assured they would be able to solve this problem.”

A meeting was held on Friday April 22 with Mr Hilton and Sanctuary.

A Sanctuary spokesperson said: “Additional drainage options were identified last week when we met with our developers and Mr Hilton at his home, and the developers are now planning on installing a further drain in the back garden of the property.

“We will need to wait until the ground is dry before this can be installed and will be liaising with the family to  arrange a suitable date for work to begin.”