Press Releases

Extra cash to clean gullies pays off

Date: 04/11/2008

Extra investment of £40,000, to clean road gullies across the High Peak, is paying dividends -- with more than 2,200 additional 'hits', helping to keep well known trouble spots clear.

This year, £140,000 -- rather than the usual budget of £100,000 -- is being pumped into cleaning 20,000 gullies throughout the borough, thanks to an extra £20,000 each from High Peak Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council.

The extra cash means that some gullies that used to be cleaned just once a year -- particularly those near lots of trees, on a steep slope, or where mud, gravel or other material is washed on to the road -- are now getting cleaned two or three times, helping to reduce localised flooding. Street sweeping has also been stepped up, in an effort to stop debris falling in.

Problem areas, highlighted by both residents and councillors, are being targeted, such as Station Road and Railway Street, in Hadfield, and streets on the fringe of Buxton town centre, including Market Street, Darwin Avenue and St James's Terrace -- and further focused campaigns are in the pipeline.

This involves asking people, who work, live or shop in a particular area, to park elsewhere while the large gully emptier swings into action.

More effort is also being channelled into providing a faster response to enquiries from the public, including using a separate service to clear single blocked gullies, allowing scheduled cleaning to carry on as normal.

"Last summer we received a lot of complaints about blocked gullies during periods of heavy rain, so we know this is an issue that concerns many residents across the area," said John Haken, High Peak Borough Council's Executive Councillor for the Environment. "This year, we, along with Derbyshire County Council, decided to make more resources available to step up cleaning, to help keep them clear.

"As well as cleaning all gullies at least once a year, we are paying extra attention to streets highlighted by both residents and councillors, where there have been problems in the past -- and the signs are that our efforts are paying off.

"We are also working more closely with the County Council, which is responsible for maintaining the gullies, to report any defects or persistent problems, such as broken grids, blocked outlets or collapsed drains, so that they can be repaired.

"And, wherever possible, we make sure that anyone, with an enquiry or complaint about a gully, receives information about the source of the problem, and what is being done, or is going to be done, to resolve it."