Flooding at A143 Compiegne Way in Bury St Edmunds made worse by vandalism of water storage tank as engineers set to visit

Flooding at a major Bury St Edmunds route which has been shut for more than a week was made worse due to vandalism of a water storage tank.

Specialist contractors are attending the A143 at Compiegne Way tomorrow for a few days to remove silt, clear the road of floodwater and investigate further, ahead of reopening the road before Monday morning.

A Suffolk Highways spokesperson said: “The contractor needed a few days of dry weather for the water levels to be reduced and allow proper assessment of the pumps, and further investigation works will continue through next week under two-way traffic lights to allow for a more permanent solution to be found.

“The issues at this location have been made worse by vandalism of a water storage tank, which will need to be repaired or replaced. We will provide updates on progress in the coming days.”

SuffolkNews reported earlier today that a community leader said the noise pollution caused by the closure of the flood-hit road has been like living next to the A14.

Melanie Soanes, chairman of Moreton Hall Residents Association, said that as a result of the closure, lorries have been using the Moreton Hall estate as a cut-through, and has called for something to be done to address repeated flooding, which has been an issue over autumn and winter.

Suffolk Highways took mitigation measures in April, which included removing more than 100 tonnes of silt from the drainage system and installing new pumps, but flooding persists.