MORE than 150 highways gullies were found to be blocked after surface water flooding hit parts of York last month, a senior councillor has revealed.

Cllr Andrew Waller said investigations had shown that a lack of routine maintenance had led to gullies being blocked with debris, and the lack of free drainage from the highway may have increased the extent of flooding.

He said that of 377 highways gullies which were cleaned after the flooding, with the work sometimes involving excavation and high power jetting, just over half were found to be blocked.

The Press reported on June 11 how a heavy shower had caused surface flooding in several areas of York, including Heworth and Huntington Road - scene of some of the worst floods on Boxing Day,.A resident said he believed silt from those floods or waste from builders carrying out renovation work had blocked the drains.

Cllr Waller said in a report to City of York Council’s Economic Development and Transport Policy and Scrutiny Committee that the authority received more than 90 complaints about surface flooding in ten locations, mainly in Heworth and Tang Hall, after intense rainfall fell on June 10 and 12.

He said roads were badly affected by flood waters, two properties suffered from internal flooding and two garages were flooded.

He said 64 investigations had been completed, and 18 issues were still being progressed.

“It is likely that highway and potentially property level flooding could have occurred due to the intense nature of the rainfall as the design capacity for drainage systems can be overwhelmed during intense localised storms.”

He said roads had been added to the annual gulley cleaning list and he was working with officers to ensure surface water drainage issues were followed through with a ‘dynamic list of areas under investigation.’