£600k To Tackle Canvey Flooding Problems

1 October 2014, 13:39 | Updated: 1 October 2014, 13:41

Nearly £600,000 is going to be spent tackling flooding on Canvey Island and helping residents effected.

The money is coming from Essex County Council and is in response to heavy rain this summer which left many residents on the island under water.

£470,000 is going to be spent on things like cleaning gullies more regularly to ensure rain water can flow into drains freely, while £120,000 is going to spent on council tax-related support for residents.

Councillor David Finch, Leader of Essex County Council, said: "This year alone our support for flood recovery and prevention on Canvey is over £600,000. That is a sign of our commitment to alleviating the trauma and inconvenience that flooding causes."

County Councillor Rodney L Bass, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: "It is important for the public to realise what Essex County Council is and is not responsible for on Canvey Island.

"We are determined to make sure our responsibilities are met - and that is why we are putting an additional £470,000 into making sure all our gullies are cleaned at least twice a year on Canvey.

"But we also call on our partners - the Environment Agency, Anglian Water, the Highways Agency and private landlords - to keep their drains, ditches and other assets in good order to ensure that flooding can be prevented where possible."

County Councillor Ray Howard, deputy to the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, and Castle Point councillor for Canvey West, said: "This should hugely improve our highway drainage system. No drains and gullies could have coped with the kind of rain we had in July.

"This commitment from ECC helps to make sure our current drainage system is the best it can be and I hope other partner agencies make similar commitments to keep it in top condition."