TORRENTIAL rain has left an Ipswich woman with a major clear up today after floodwaters tore up her driveway and caused sewage to flood her garden.

by KATE BOXELL

kate.boxell@eveningstar.co.uk>

TORRENTIAL rain has left an Ipswich woman with a major clear up today after floodwaters tore up her driveway and caused sewage to flood her garden.

Anne Phillips of Lovetofts Drive, said there has been a problem with flooding in the street for more than 25 years but claims it has increased with the growing number of houses.

And on Saturday the problem came to a head when the block paving on her driveway collapsed and part of a pavement buckled with the force of the water.

The 55-year-old said: “Years ago we used to get sewage in the front and back garden so we put paving down and that's messed up now.

“The problem has been blamed on people having block paving and car ports it was here a long time before that.

“Someone needs to take responsibility.

“It is just too many houses and not sufficient sewerage.”

Andrew Mackintosh, a spokesman for Anglian Water, agreed that the increase in housing was a major cause of flooding across the country.

He said: “It is a big issue not just in Ipswich but in the region and across the country and it is something we are having to look at more and more.

“There is far more hard standing ground, more housing estates and less ground to absorb the water.”

He said the problem in the Kerry Avenue and Lovetofts Drive area had been caused by the sheer volume of rain over Friday night and Saturday morning forcing open a man hole.

He added: “In June we had a storm where 23mm of rain fell in 12 minutes and everything was overwhelmed. Since then we have met with residents and tried to help as much as we could to stop sewerage leaking.

“We put a grill down and this time the bulk of what's come out is water and there is very little sewerage because of our steps.”

Mr Mackintosh said representatives from the company would back in the area on Monday to look at the problem further.

N Do you have a problem with flooding? Write to us at Evening Star Letters, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk>