Heavy duty pumps ‘overwhelmed’
In a Facebook post, the council said the culvert lies around 12 metres below the surface and remains the responsibility of the club’s representatives to repair. While demolition of the building is almost complete, the next stage will be to excavate and fix the culvert.
In the meantime, the council has deployed heavy duty pumping equipment to divert water at the blockage point. But it admitted that during periods of heavy rainfall, such as this week, the pumps “can become overwhelmed and simply cannot cope with the volume of water flowing beneath the road.”
Public frustration acknowledged
The authority said it understood public anger at repeated flooding at the roundabout, but stressed its intervention could only have “limited impact” until the culvert is repaired.
“This situation will only be resolved when the private culvert has been unblocked and repaired, allowing water to flow freely through the network. Until then, the location remains at risk of further flooding during severe weather,” the council said.
Drains not to blame, says council
The council also rejected suggestions that blocked gullies or drains were behind the flooding. It said all watercourses in the immediate area had been checked and cleared, and would continue to be maintained.
Roundabout remains closed
The roundabout remains shut to traffic, with diversions in place. The council said it would provide further updates on reopening once conditions allowed.
