'Someone could drown' in flood-hit lane near Bridgnorth, claims blind pensioner
A blind pensioner has demanded action "before somebody drowns" in a flood-hit lane which has claimed 29 vehicles and may have caused up to "£500,000 of damage".
Chesterton Road in Pattingham, near Bridgnorth, has been practically underwater for four weeks, and several vehicles have ended up submerged including top of the range BMWs and a Biffa truck.
Residents think the flooding is being caused by a blocked culvert, preventing the water from being drained off into a nearby brook. Derek Baldwin has been trying to get workers to come out and sort it, but none of the councils have taken responsibility.
Derek, meanwhile, believes there is a genuine danger that someone could become trapped and drown if the problem isn't resolved.
He said: "While the councils are arguing the toss, a mother will probably end up driving into it with a baby in the middle of the night and they'll drown. Maybe that'll get the councils to do something.
"There have been 29 vehicles now, probably totalling £500,000 worth of damage. They could probably all sue."
The flood is much deeper than it looks on the surface due to a large dip in the road. Several stricken motorists have knocked on Derek's door late at night when it's dark, an added stress for him considering he is blind.
His daughter, Liz, said: "My dad has reported it several times but nothing has been done. Last year someone came out and cleared it. This year it hasn't been cleared. The water is not going to go away. Someone needs to do something.
"People use that road to go to Patshull Park and they use the country lanes to avoid the traffic. My dad is blind and he keeps getting people knocking on his door because they want rescuing. It's stressful for him, especially when they're knocking after dark."
She added: "The water has been there for weeks. Loads of cars have been written off. It's damaging the road as well.
"The road closed signs have been up, but people ignore them because it doesn't look as deep as it is. The road dips considerably in the middle, and if you don't know the area, you wouldn't realise."
When the Star called for answers, Shropshire Council initially said Pattingham was South Staffordshire Council's responsibility, before instead claiming it was Wolverhampton Council's patch.
Wolverhampton said the area is looked after by South Staffordshire, which in turn claimed that Staffordshire County Council is responsible for highways and flooding in the area.
Staffordshire County Council has visited the site and claims it comes under Shropshire's jurisdiction.
Derek says that he pays his council tax to Shropshire Council.
