Rage over Beverley brook (From Your Local Guardian)

Rage over Beverley brook

8:24pm Tuesday 31st July 2007 in

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A week on from the flooding which swept across the borough, residents in Worcester Park want the Beverley brook cleaned out to prevent future damage to their homes.

Houses in Green Lane and Caverleigh Way were some of the hardest hit by torrential downpours after Beverley brook burst its banks on July 20.

Angry residents of Green Lane said the brook was poorly maintained which worsened the damage to their homes.

Susan Bahsoun, 38, an office manager, who lives in Green Lane, said: "A lot of residents are up in arms about the brook - it's never cleaned out properly, the bank has collapsed and there are brambles everywhere.

"We're thinking about starting a petition because we pay so much council tax and we're angry that the council could have done something to stop this."

Melanie Morris, 31, of Caverleigh Way, husband Neil, 32, and five-month-old daughter Jessica are staying with relatives after flooding ruined the ground floor of their home - including precious wedding photographs.

She said: "We are living with my mother in Wallington. Her garden and hallway was flooded but we moved in because we couldn't stay at our house with a five-month-old.

"We are waiting for the house to dry out and for the insurance assessor to come but they haven't given us any idea how long this might take or whether the water is contaminated."

A spokesman for Sutton Council said: "Sutton Council completely sympathises with residents' concerns, however the brook is maintained by the Environment Agency and we are working with them to identify what lessons were learnt from the recent floods.

"In addition, the Hamptons development is a private estate and the council can only carry out cleaning works to the gullies if the managing agents contract us to do so.

"The council regrets the damage and distress caused to residents because of the flooding."