by Sam Hawcroft
Yorkshire Water is investigating after residents in Keyingham were again hit by flooding during last week’s heavy downpours.
The company has confirmed it has since carried out a series of visits to the village, including inspections of manholes and sewer lines, as well as CCTV surveys.
It comes after Cllr Sean McMaster, South East Holderness ward councillor and a Keyingham resident, raised concerns over long-standing drainage problems in the village and called for agencies to take responsibility before the situation worsens.
Yorkshire Water has told Cllr McMaster that its teams have visited Willowfield Drive, Compton Drive and Saltaugh Road since the flooding incidents.
The company said evidence suggested that a significant build-up of silt, along with potential tree root intrusion, might have contributed to the flooding experienced by residents.
Further work has now been raised, including desilting, the removal of any root growth and additional CCTV investigations.
Yorkshire Water said this would help build “a clearer and more complete understanding of the immediate causes of the problem”.
It said it was also working to establish whether the issues were mainly caused by blockages and maintenance requirements, which could be dealt with in the short to medium term, or whether there was an underlying capacity issue within the network that could require more significant, longer-term intervention and investment.
In correspondence to Cllr McMaster, Yorkshire Water said: “We have escalated the situation internally to ensure that we can provide you with a full and transparent update covering both the immediate actions being taken and any further steps that may be required as soon as possible.
“Investigations are still ongoing at this stage, but I will keep you regularly updated and share a more detailed update with you as soon as further information becomes available.”
Cllr McMaster said flooding and drainage issues in Keyingham were nothing new, with the village having suffered badly during the major floods of 2007.
He said: “The council did put some mitigations in place at the time. But it is quite a complex issue – they can’t put new systems in because the areas affected are mostly privately owned.”
Cllr McMaster said residents in Willowfield Drive and Compton Drive had seen systems backing up during heavy rainfall, with water and sewage waste running through gardens and into the street.
He added that residents were rightly angry, particularly as water bills continued to rise.
“Residents are paying exorbitant water bills and not receiving the service they should be receiving.
“Water bills keep rising and the service is dropping. It should be the other way around. We should be receiving a better service for what we are paying.”
He said some residents feared the problem could eventually affect their homes if heavy rainfall continued for longer periods, as happened in 2007.
Cllr McMaster said capacity appeared to be a key issue, with Keyingham having grown significantly since earlier drainage improvements were made.
He said he was also writing to planning officers over concerns about further development and the impact it could have on existing drainage problems.
He added: “Most of it is down to capacity. The village is much bigger than it used to be, and it is only going to get bigger.
“This is all about holding the authorities to account and getting things done.”