Drainage

Worcester City Council (18 009 209)

Statement Upheld Drainage 12-Dec-2019

Summary: Mr C says the Council was at fault for its failure over 15 years to make the owner of a carpark install a drainage system. This, he says, allowed water to damage his property. The Council was at fault for using incorrect legislation to try to solve the problem. This raised Mr C's expectations, cost him time and trouble and caused him distress. The Council has agreed to apologise and to pay him a sum in recognition of the injustice caused.

City of York Council (19 004 318)

Statement Not upheld Drainage 03-Dec-2019

Summary: Mr X complained the Council delayed in carrying out remedial works to pipes near to his property. He said this had caused damage to his property in the past and it was causing him and his family distress. There was no fault in the Council's actions.

Hundred of Wisbech Internal Drainage Board (19 001 487)

Statement Not upheld Drainage 30-Sep-2019

Summary: Mrs C complains the Hundred of Wisbech Internal Drainage Board failed to investigate properly and take appropriate action in response to her reports of drainage problems after it consented to works affecting a private watercourse. Mrs C says her property suffers from raised levels of groundwater and standing water from November to March and she had to take action to deal with the excess water to prevent damage to her property costing approximately £700. The Ombudsman has found no evidence of fault by the Drainage Board.

Durham County Council (18 019 029)

Statement Upheld Drainage 27-Sep-2019

Summary: Mr X complained the Council, as the regulatory authority, failed to provide him with advice and assistance when his property was being damaged by a nearby landowner who was pumping water into a stream at high pressure. The Council did not respond immediately to Mr X but was not required to. It did respond to Mr X's concerns and was not at fault. It was at fault when it failed to respond to Mr X's later correspondence and to address the queries he rose. This caused Mr X some frustration and the Council has agreed to apologise to him for this. It has also agreed to review its procedures to prevent this happening in future.

Surrey County Council (18 014 797)

Statement Not upheld Drainage 26-Sep-2019

Summary: Mr B complains about the way the Council has handled a drainage problem on Mrs A's land. He says the Council incorrectly installed a drainage pipe and agreed to carry out works to the driveway which it is now refusing to do. The Ombudsman finds no fault on the Council's part.

Lancashire County Council (18 015 987)

Statement Upheld Drainage 22-Aug-2019

Summary: Mr D complains the Council has failed to help him resolve flooding on his private property. The Ombudsman has found no evidence of fault in this matter. The Council did delay responding to Mr D's complaint but there is no outstanding injustice to Mr D. As such, the Ombudsman has upheld the complaint (because of the delay) and completed the investigation because there is no unremedied injustice.

Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council (19 000 800)

Statement Not upheld Drainage 05-Aug-2019

Summary: Mr D complains about the way the Council has handled drainage problems in his property and road. The Ombudsman has discontinued our investigation. This is because further investigation could not achieve any worthwhile outcome for Mr D and it would be reasonable for him to pursue a legal claim against the Council.

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.