A BARNSLEY pensioner who claims she is consistently ‘out at 3am cleaning the drains’ has called on the council to sort out her road.
Jenny Pashley, 79, of Lingard Road, has seen the state of the road network in her area worsen over recent weeks due to the heavy rainfall.
It’s resulted in her being forced to leave her home in the early hours of the morning to clear the drains before the rainwater reaches her home.
Her son, Robert, who has travelled from Ireland to support her said the council needs to get into gear.
He told the Chronicle: “My mum is constantly out on the street at 3am clearing the drain.
“It’s become really noticeable recently because of how bad the weather has been.
“The road is completely knackered.
“The council came out and tried to blame my mum for it - they said she should probably sell her house because she’s living on a flood plain.
“She lives on a hill - if this is a flood plain then Barnsley town centre would be under water constantly.
“The attitude when they came out was shocking and something needs to be done about it.”
Coun James Higginbottom, cabinet spokesperson for environment and transport, added: “We visited the property to inspect the drains and speak to the resident about her concerns, including discussions about a variety of flood resilience options for her home including air brick covers, driveway flood barriers and flood gates to external doors.
“The issues with the drains outside this property have been caused by the heavy rainfall throughout the last month, which has put severe strain on the drainage network.
“As the drains in this instance are part of the highway, it is our responsibility for keeping them clean and free from obstruction so they can take water from the road into the sewer system and prevent flooding.
“Residents can report a blocked street drain or gully, or a missing or loose grate to us on our website at barnsley.gov.uk/drains.”
