Windmill Road Residents Forced to Clear Drains During Downpours

Pulled up leaves to stop blockages in the middle of the night

77-year-old John Mullarkey was forced to pull fistfuls of leaves from a drain

Soaked Brentford residents had to get up in the middle of the night to pull fistfuls of leaves from blocked drains as London was hit by flash flooding on Tuesday (2 November).

John Mullarkey, 77, and neighbour Dom Hayward, 64, say they have to get on their hands and knees in the middle of the night and pull leaves from overflowing drains every time it rains on their street.

When it rains on Windmill Road, the water rises quickly from the drains and small waves hit against residents’ front doors and sometimes into their homes when cars drive quickly through the area, locals claim.

A group of residents, some just in crocs, had to rush out when two weeks’ worth of rain fell on Tuesday night to try and stop the drains from overflowing once again.

John said, “At 11pm I was about to go to bed but I could see the water gushing against the front door. The leaves are blocked with drains. Every time there is heavy rain the area floods.

“The water last night was eight- inches high. I was there at 2am pulling leaves from the drain. Fistfuls at a time.”

The Irish grandad, who has been living in the street for 37 years added, “There was a similar incident last summer. We spent two days trying to keep the gutters clear. The water is black but there is no sewage.”

John had to use his hands and a brush as he worked with his neighbours and a Hounslow Council worker to try and stop the flooding in the road from getting any worse.

Dom Hayward, 64, was also out removing leaves from the drains last night. In the past flash flooding has been so bad Dom’s conservatory has flooded.

He said, “The pipes are very full so they can act like little fountains. There is not enough capacity. There is nothing we can do even with all our rods. We cannot clear it. The drains are actually squirting out water because they are all blocked up”

Footage from the Brentford road last night shows driveways flooded following heavy rain. A video from Windmill Road shows vehicles navigating deep waters with water reaching all the way up to people’s front doors.

A yellow weather warning was issued by the Met Office overnight and flooding has taken place in a number of London boroughs – including Brent and Hounslow.

A Hounslow Council spokesperson said: “Our Hounslow Highways colleagues continually monitor the road network across the borough to identify issues of flooding and conduct maintenance work in areas of risk. In response to the adverse weather conditions and heavy rainfall this week, our teams have been deployed to affected areas to clear any build-up of water.

“The council is aware of locations across the borough, like Windmill Road, that are at risk of or experience severe surface water flooding. We are actively exploring solutions to reduce the flood risk in this area and to protect residents and their properties.

“If you have experienced flooding please report it to flooding@hounslow.gov.uk.”

Thames Water was contacted for comment.

Jacob Phillips - Local Democracy Reporter

November 5, 2022