Councillor Andy Neal laments drainage issues in Mildenhall with number of roads flooded as Storm Henk continues to cause chaos in Suffolk

A district councillor has lamented the drainage issues in a Suffolk town after a number of roads have been flooded.

West Suffolk district councillor Andy Neal, who lives in Mildenhall and represents the Queensway ward, has been unhappy with the state of the drainage system for a number of years.

With Storm Henk bringing heavy rain and causing chaos this week, it has seen a number of spots across the county badly affected by the wet and windy weather.

In Mildenhall, multiple areas have been flooded including St John’s Close, Hornbeam Road, Trinity Avenue, as well as on the industrial estate and more.

Cllr Neal said: “There are massive problems and as a whole, Mildenhall is suffering from not having its drains cleared and the system isn’t functioning properly.

“Residents cannot be expected to live within a lake and people cannot exit their vehicles without standing in four inches of water.

“It’s not just because of the weather we’re experiencing as this happens historically year on year. People deserve better and it’s just not good enough.”

With a number of drains blocked which is causing flooding on the town’s roads, Cllr Neal is urging Suffolk County Council to regularly do something about the issue.

“I appreciate budgets and that services have been cut back, but it gets reported continuously and nothing happens,” he said.

“It's frustrating that nothing is getting done and it's disappointing that nothing has been done for the last few years on top of that.

“There should be a regular expected standard of service or schedule for towns right across the county. This is no reflection on the teams that do this for a job, but management needs to create a regular programme of visits.

“At present, it seems the visits are reactionary to problems rather than part of regular maintenance.”

Suffolk Highways have been approached for a comment.