Drainage

Environment Agency (17 014 051)

Statement Not upheld Drainage 20-May-2019

Summary: Mr X complains the Environment Agency has failed to classify a water structure as a dam and has delayed undertaking works to prevent flooding. There is no fault in the process leading to the decision not to classify the structure as a dam. This is a matter of professional judgement. While the works have taken longer than originally anticipated this is not due to fault by the Environment Agency.

Essex County Council (18 009 677)

Statement Not upheld Drainage 13-May-2019

Summary: Mr B complains the Council has carried out work to his property in a way that he did not consent to. He says the work means he has lost several metres of his garden and the garden is now not safe for children. The Ombudsman does not find fault with the Council.

Herefordshire Council (18 012 109)

Statement Upheld Drainage 29-Apr-2019

Summary: Mrs Y complains about the Council's decision not to take enforcement action against her neighbour, Mrs X, for allegedly blocking a known route of surface and flood water. The Ombudsman finds no evidence of procedural fault in the Council's actions, and so we will not question the merits of its decision not to enforce against Mrs X. However, there was some delay in the Council's early correspondence with Mrs Y, which it will apologise for.

Lincolnshire County Council (18 013 900)

Statement Upheld Drainage 18-Apr-2019

Summary: Mr X complains the Council has failed to clear a set of drains near his home. He states that when it rains the blocked drains cause the pavements and the roads to flood, making them difficult to use. To rectify the situation, he wants the Council to clean the drains and clear them of all obstructions. The Ombudsman has found the Council was at fault as it did not properly address Mr X's concerns about the blocked drains. This fault did not cause him any significant injustice but it may have resulted in a hazard on a pavement near his home. To remedy this injustice, the Council has agreed to clean the drains within the next two months then write to Mr X to confirm the work has been undertaken.

Wokingham Borough Council (18 002 652)

Statement Not upheld Drainage 02-Apr-2019

Summary: Mr X says the Council is at fault in how it has acted upon his reports of flooding on the access road to his home. The Ombudsman has not found evidence of fault by the Council in this matter. For this reason he has ended his investigation of this complaint.

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council (18 010 298)

Statement Not upheld Drainage 26-Mar-2019

Summary: Mr S says the Council was at fault for various failures concerning drainage near his home. The Council was not at fault. It carried out its statutory duties lawfully.

Environment Agency (18 014 404)

Statement Not upheld Drainage 26-Mar-2019

Summary: Mr S says the Environment Agency was at fault for failures concerning drainage near his home. Some events occurred too long ago for the Ombudsman to consider them. Otherwise, the Agency was not at fault. In some instances, it made professional evidence-based decisions which the Ombudsman cannot fault. In other cases, it had no duty or power to act.

Somerset County Council (18 008 577)

Statement Upheld Drainage 04-Mar-2019

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council did not take appropriate action when she reported flooding to her property and a risk of flooding to the public highway that she said was caused by her neighbour filling in a ditch. The Council was at fault for delays in investigating the matter and in referring it to its flood risk management team for consideration. It will apologise for this. It is not at fault for the way it considered whether to start enforcement action.

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (17 014 772)

Statement Upheld Drainage 04-Mar-2019

Summary: Miss X complained the Council failed to adequately respond to her concerns about ongoing flood protection after a culvert collapsed and flooded her garden in 2017. The Council was at fault. It failed to respond to all of Miss X's concerns which caused her frustration and uncertainty. It was also at fault for the delay and handling of Miss X's complaint which caused her further frustration and uncertainty. The Council agreed to pay Miss X £150 in recognition of these faults.

Essex County Council (18 004 311)

Statement Upheld Drainage 18-Feb-2019

Summary: Mr B complains the Council has not properly investigated or produced a plan to address flooding to his road. He says the flooding happens often and becomes contaminated with sewage. The Council is at fault for not considering whether to undertake further investigations, surveys or works. It is also at fault for failing to consider a plan proposed by another local authority.