Residents Demand Action
Residents in a Walsall street are demanding action be taken after being torment with months of nuisance due to flooded gardens.
Homeowners have experienced flooding for over eight months– and have pointed the finger of blame directly at a pond in Palfrey Park, which is attached directly onto their gardens.
“Even in dry weather there is a constant stream of water in the gardens and when it rains they are completely flooded,” said resident Ramchandra Patel.
“During the recent cold weather it freezes, making it like an ice rink and dangerous to walk on. It’s always waterlogged, making it unusable and I fear that it is now causing damage to a large outhouse, which I built. It’s time this was fixed.”
Mr Patel maintained that engineers from Severn Trent had admitted water coming from the pond in Palfrey Park was the problem.
Palfrey ward councillor Allah Ditta said he was determined to take the issue up with Walsall council. “It has taken too long to solve.”
But Kevin Clements, environmental resources manager at Walsall Council, said it is “unlikely” the pond is the cause of the problem.
He said: “The pond in the conservation area of Palfrey Park was put in around 1991 which is 24 years ago so it is unlikely that this is the cause of the excess ground water in the gardens of Broadway West residents.
“The southern end of the park is affected by rain as the land naturally slopes down in that direction so it is prone to flooding. There are no drains in that area of the park so a blocked drain has been ruled out as the cause.”
“As part of the winter works programme the pond will be dredged and a number of willow trees will be planted. In addition, park staff are meeting with senior engineers to discuss possible ways of channelling the natural ground water away from the properties affected. Council officers are happy to speak to the owners of the affected properties in Broadway West to discuss this in more detail.”
