West Dunbartonshire’s MP Martin Docherty-Hughes is pressing for a plan to tackle problem flooding which is causing ‘misery’ for Linnvale residents.
The local MP is calling for Scottish Water and West Dunbartonshire Council to put in place a joint action plan to alleviate the risk of flooding, following concerns about Linnvale being ‘cut-off’ during spells of heavy rain.
Residents of Linnvale have been speaking out about the impact of long-standing flooding problems in the area. In a survey of local households carried out by MP Docherty-Hughes, 79 per cent of respondents said they’d experienced access difficulties due to local flooding.
In Livingstone Street and surrounding areas, elderly and disabled residents describe being trapped in their homes when local roads flood during heavy rain. In Shinwell Avenue and other nearby streets, householders report incurring thousands of pounds worth of damage to their property caused by flood water over the years.
An initial assessment carried out by engineers last year suggested that the local sewer network has insufficient capacity, with Scottish Water facing criticism for saying it isn’t a priority area for investment. Residents have also complained that flooding incidents have been worsened by West Dunbartonshire Council’s failure to clear drains on a regular basis.
Commenting, Martin Docherty-Hughes MP said:
“The clear message I’ve heard from residents in Linnvale is they’ve had enough of the persistent problems caused by local flooding.
“Whenever it rains heavily it causes misery for households who struggle to get in and out of their homes, which particularly impacts vulnerable residents.
“People tell me they’ve suffered repeatedly from damage to property, including cars, gardens and homes. It’s gone on too long now and, quite frankly, giving out sandbags isn’t going to cut it.
“Given repeated flooding over the past months, I won’t accept the view that Linnvale isn’t a priority area for investment.
“It’s time for Scottish Water and the local authority to take the concerns of my constituents seriously. We need to see a flooding action plan put in place which finally gets this resolved.”
If you live in Linnvale and would like a copy of Martin’s resident survey on the impact of flooding, please get in touch with his constituency office.
