I am disappointed that work to solve the problem of serious flooding at Sherburn has been delayed but pleased that funding has been secured so work can start to be delivered in the Spring of 2020. After taking the matter up with Highways England I was told that engineers had found that the problem was more serious than originally thought. It has therefore been necessary to design a solution which will have long-term impact.
I can understand local residents’ frustrations about the time it has taken to solve this issue. I have been assured that the design work is now underway and that money has been set aside in the next financial year to begin delivery of the drainage improvement work. Whilst I would like it done sooner, I do appreciate the point made by Highways England that, once their investigations had shown that the source of the problem was more complicated than first thought, it has been necessary to go back to the drawing board and come up with a more comprehensive solution.
In recent times rain has caused the drains to backup and sometimes flood the whole road, particularly at the crossroads in the village of Sherburn. The post office has also been badly affected when, on the very worst occasions, water gets inside the building every time a vehicle drives past. Highways England has cleared ditches, drains and gullies around the affected areas as part of recent projects on the A64 which has helped with flood alleviation, but it says this does not resolve the underlying issues which is causing the flooding in Sherburn.
I intend to keep the pressure up to make sure a resolution is found as quickly as possible.
