Flood of complaints

Among those worst hit by Tuesday morning's downpour were homes on Ilkley's Valley Drive and St Mary's Close, where Backstone Beck overflowed, turning the roads into fast-flowing rivers, and swamping gardens.

Logs, branches and dumped rubbish were swept into road, which had to be closed to traffic with up to a foot of water in places, while residents waited anxiously for emergency supplies of sandbags from Bradford Council in an attempt to prevent the water getting into their houses.

Some residents blamed the blocked waterway and questioned how long it had been since drains were cleared, as they could not cope with the volume of water. And one resident claimed a new grate fitted on the beck to prevent blockages of debris lower downstream had effectively acted as a dam, diverting the torrent into the streets.

Long-running problems with drainage spilled over on to Leeds Road and the Ashlands Road industrial estate, where landlord Raven Development said it had had enough of waiting for the drainage problems to be solved once and for all.

Units on the estate have been flooded several times in recent years, leading to insurance claims to repair the damage. This time the businesses were spared - but the landlord says this is more to do with Raven Development's own efforts than sought-after improvements to the drainage system.

Chairman John Schofield, said his company - which built the industrial units more than 20 years ago and still maintains and manages the site - pays to have a grate on Backstone Beck cleared out very regularly, and as well as providing businesses with its own sandbags, paid to commission the drawing up of a special drainage scheme.

However, Bradford Council has yet to act on the plan which was sent to its officers almost a year ago. And council work to fix a drain came to a halt late last year when contractors came up against a gas main.

Mr Schofield is now calling for the council to 'get on with it' and solve the problem after years of debate.

"It seems Bradford Council is incapable of organising anything. We're talking about this going on for years. We've got files going back years," he said. "The tenants down here are absolutely fed up as are we as landlords."

It is believed that the drainage system in Ashlands Road has not been functioning properly since a storm drain was severed in the area when a gas main was being laid. The council has spent several months in discussions with Transco, which manages and maintains the gas supply network, but during that time the drains have not been fixed and holes have been left in the road.

Mr Schofield believes the Valley Drive flood happened because Bradford has not regularly cleared natural and man-made debris from another grate across Backstone Beck in that area.

Bradford Council's emergency room, set up to co-ordinate flood relief efforts at Bradford City Hall, also received reports of rainwater flooding at Kirklands Community Centre, Main Street, Menston, and environmental health officers were sent into Wharfedale Drive in Ilkley after raw sewage burst out of pipes.

The Environment Agency issued Flood Watch warnings - its first-stage alert - but there was no serious flooding from the River Wharfe in Ilkley or Addingham.

Bradford Council environment chief and Ilkley ward councillor, Anne Hawkesworth, told the Gazette it was very difficult for the council to combat flash floods, but said the Bradford Council-initiated Flood Commission and its planned flood strategy could help in future.

Bradford Council assistant chief executive, David Kennedy, said of the Ashlands Road flood: "Basically we're in discussions with Transco. We're trying to put pressure on Transco to sort it out and speed up their coming to a resolution. We thought we had got a resolution then we discovered we hadn't." He believes fixing the damaged drain is Transco's responsibility.

Bus and train services were also disrupted by flooding and wet road conditions across the county, and a number of Wharfedale services were cancelled.

Residents of Valley Drive and St Mary's Close were shocked by the flooding, saying they have never seen anything like it in their street before. Water rushed down St Mary's Close, mostly running into the field beyond. Much of the water also backed up against a small wall at the end of the cul-de-sac, washing across people's gardens and on to residents' doorsteps, before help could arrive.

St Mary's Close resident Ray Mann said: "When I woke up this morning the grate was trying to cope with it. Then just as we were cooking breakfast, my wife said the grate wasn't taking it any more. It was running through here like a river."

Some residents used poles and broom handles to dislodge foliage and debris and allow the water to escape into the fields. A number houses on Valley Drive were also said to have been flooded, along with the playground and grounds of Sacred Heart Primary School.

Valley Drive resident Sylvia McLoughlin took to the street in an attempt to stop impatient drivers rushing through the flood and sending waves of water down her driveway towards her husband's joinery workshop.