Council calls on Southern Water to take urgent action after Preston Circus flooding

Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport and City Infrastructure said: “It was devastating to see the flooding in Preston Circus following yesterday’s heavy rainfall. I know this seriously impacts residents and businesses, both emotionally and financially.

“Having spoken with council officers, we carried out major gully clearing in the area in July. They were inspected and cleared again 3 weeks ago ahead of Storm Amy. We’re confident the gullies were operating as they should, but we’ll continue to review our drainage cleaning policy to ensure resources are directed to the most critical locations.

“Unfortunately, this area connects to Southern Water’s sewer system which is likely to have been running at full capacity, meaning water wasn’t able to drain away effectively.

“I’ll be meeting with Southern Water this week, calling on them again to work collaboratively with the council on a strategic approach to urgently fix the problems which have caused our residents so much distress and frustration for several years now. 

“It’s crucial Brighton & Hove has an infrastructure which is fit for purpose and able to cope with the growing number of severe weather incidents being caused by climate change.”