Rise in reports of blocked drains across region

The number of reports of blocked drains has more than tripled in Worcestershire and quadrupled in Herefordshire in the past 10 years, according to council figures.

Worcestershire residents reported 5,142 issues with drains last year alone.

The county council said it responded to or investigated all complaints of blocked drains.

Herefordshire County Council confirmed 1,724 issues were submitted in 2024 and added that it was putting more resources and investment into fixing drainage issues.

According to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the BBC, Worcestershire residents reported 1,671 drainage issues in 2015, with 419 reports of blocked gullies in Herefordshire in the same year.

Lorraine Whiteside, from Eckington, Worcestershire, filled a wheelbarrow with black sludge from her drains after she took it upon herself to clean them.

"With a crowbar and a spade and a wheelbarrow, we dug it out," she explained.

Ms Whiteside said flooding in the area was a "real problem", and water had previously flooded her drive and garage.

"The water just has nowhere to go, so it runs all the way down to the main road where there's a junction," she said.

"It's all coming down the hill, of course, and it just congregates here; it can't go any further because, as well as the drains being blocked, the pipe between the drains is blocked, so it can't go anywhere; it's stuck."

Worcestershire County Council's website states that some of its drains should be fully cleaned every four years.

"The drains are supposed to be cleared once every four years. This one's up to four and a half years, so it is due; it's well overdue for a clean," Ms Whiteside added.

Chris Riley, highways maintenance operations manager at Worcestershire County Council, said reports of blocked drains were investigated within 28 days.

He said the council prioritised reports which had "significant risk" to properties or pedestrians and motorists.

"We have an optimised cleaning frequency, but it's not perfect, so we accept that in some places gullies do need to be cleaned more frequently," he said.

Ed Bradford, head of highways at Herefordshire Council, said flooding was happening on a more regular basis.

He told BBC Hereford and Worcester the local authority also had a gully drainage programme in place across the county.

"We encourage the public to report anything to us that they see that doesn't look right," Mr Bradford added.

"If it's a serious issue, we'll be out there within two hours. If it's something a bit different, then that gets inspected and followed up on."

Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.