Closed
Manhole cover on verge outside Wren Cottage
Sent to Cheshire East Council less than a minute later. Council ref: 5893242.
There is an underground drainage pipe that goes under the carriageway from the manhole cover outside Wren Cottage to the ditch on the opposite side of the road. This pipe is known to have collapsed. Highways have been well aware of this collapse since the 17th July 2023 when they tried to jet the pipe. Consequently, the pipe has blocked with silt all the way up to the drainage ditch adjacent to Honeysuckle Cottage and all excess water is being forced above ground across the carriageway – significantly damaging the tarmac and the grass verges and carrying large amounts of mud onto the carriageway. Three vehicles have slipped into the drainage ditch opposite the field entrance as a direct result of the waterlogged verges and exposed tarmac edges. The damaged pipe needs to be dug up and fixed urgently. We have been trying to get this resolved since the 4th of May 2023 (original call reference 3454604). Due to the lack of action a detailed complaint (containing useful annotated maps) was submitted on the 6th of January 2024 (please see complaint reference 23675554). This was subsequently escalated due to further lack of action and we were told on the 6th of February that a member of the highways team would be in contact with us. No such contact has been made. We have since followed up with two emails (including photos showing cars that have subsequently slipped off the road and have been ignored) and four telephone calls (each time told someone from highways will call us back, but no one has) and have had to escalate the complaint once again. Please raise a work order for the repairs and ideally arrange for a visit from a member of the Highways team so we can explain the related issues – our contact details are on the complaint.
We have noted that some potholes have been marked with paint and are worried that the repair team will ignore the root cause of the issue (the broken pipe) and will simply patch up the damage. Please ensure the pipe is fixed at the same time.
Updates
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Thank you for contacting Cheshire East Highways. We have logged your enquiry and passed it to a member of our team.
Our teams are working hard to manage and respond to reports from members of the public.
We are experiencing a high volume of enquiries and we will be prioritising those issues that present most risk to the travelling public. While we normally aim to provide you with a response within 20 working days, response times for all other reported issues may take longer than usual.
Thank you for your patience.
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Thank you for your enquiry. Gully emptying programmes are based on condition data collected during previous schedules, as well as criteria such as road type, volume of traffic, the proximity of schools, hospitals and transport hubs and known flood risk areas. This targeted approach to gully emptying means that not all gullies will be emptied every year. We will however attend to specific issues where gullies are blocked and causing a danger to highway users or flooding to property.
From the details provided, it doesn’t appear that there is any immediate hazard or threat to property. However, if you can assist us by providing any further information and photographs, then we will consider what action is appropriate. This can be done either via the ‘report it’ option on the website at www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/highways, or by telephone on 03001235020.
Further information on our approach is also available at https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/ highways_and_roads/ road-maintenance/ gullies-and-drains.aspx
This report is now closed to updates from the public. You can make a new report in the same location.