Villages at high risk of flooding to get extra prevention work

Work to clean out gulleys, repair drainage systems and prevent surface water flooding is carried out at regular intervals, depending on the road’s flooding risk.

A road’s history of flooding and near-misses as well as the condition of gulleys are now being taken into account to prioritise the highest risk areas.

It comes after Lincolnshire experienced severe flooding for three consecutive years, most recently when more than 200 properties were flooded in January.

There are more than 140,000 gulleys across the county which need cleaning so that flood water can drain off roads.

Lincolnshire County Council’s flood and water teams will be carrying out a full clean and investigations in nine villages deemed to be high-risk: Greatford (already complete), Halton Holegate/Fenside, Leasingham, Little & Great Carlton, North Scarle, Ruskington, Scothern, Langworth, Welbourn (complete).

Nathan Whitfield, the council’s principal engineer for drainage, told the highways committee on Monday (June 23) that the authority was reacting to repeated bad weather.

“From April 2025, the methodology for selecting the frequency for gully cleanse was revised and updated,” he said.

“That’s to reflect the changing scenarios we’re seeing out on the highway, particularly during extreme rainfall we’re experiencing, having had three major storms in the last 19 months.”

High-risk areas will be cleaned every six months; medium-risk every year and low-risk every two years.

Councillor Tom Dyer (Con) spoke about the importance of the work.

“I’ve known one gulley not working which led to a house being flooded, which had devastating consequences for a family. This is very important work for the council – we have to get right,” he told the committee.

Chris Miller, head of environment, added that protecting the large county during storms was increasingly difficult.

“We will never say we can completely protect people from flooding, only that we can better protect them,” he said.

Flood prevention has become a hot political topic after Reform cut the dedicated committee for it, despite cross-party pleas from other members to save it.

The new administration denied it was a “downgrade” and said the issue would get more attention than before as part of the environment committee’s responsibilities.