Investigation of Buxton culverts to prevent future flooding

Repair a section of damaged culvert after intense rain last month will start on Tuesday, August 27 and the Environment Agency and Derbyshire County Council are covering the £75,000 cost.

Specialist contractors brought in as council offers to pay to fix damaged culver...

After the work is done the Environment Agency has announced it will continue to work in partnership with Derbyshire County Council to identify potential sources of funding for a wider study of the area to look at how we can further reduce flood risk for the future.

A spokesperson from the Environment Agency said: “We have been working closely with Derbyshire County Council to find a suitable repair for the damaged area of the culvert and have agreed the funding to enable it to go ahead quickly. We are confident the works will restore the culvert to a safe condition.”

Derbyshire County Council are now progressing plans for the repair with their contractors and the Environment Agency will continue to provide assistance as needed.

The residents of 30 homes and two businesses on Lightwood Road in Buxton were hit by flash floods last month, two people and one business are still unable to go back into their properties.

This led to the discovery of a damaged stone culvert which carries Hogshaw Brook underneath the properties, sparking fears it could potentially collapse.

One of the residents affected by the flash floods said there was a growing sense of confusion and frustration over the damaged culvert.

Adam Gatenby’s home was one of 30 properties to be hit by flooding on July 31, although he admits he was “one of the lucky ones” as the flood water only affected his cellar.

Adam said: “It’s the not knowing which is the hardest part. We didn’t know about a river running under our houses, no-one did.

“It isn’t on any of the deeds for any of the properties and they go back years and years.

“We’ve had people knocking on our door telling us we need to leave our home and we’ve had other people saying we should stay put.

“It’s so incredibly frustrating for the council to say we have a culvert under our homes or gardens. No-one appears to know what’s going on and it’s getting ridiculous.”