Preston councillor uses garden gnome to complain about height of flooding

Flood warnings issued across Lancashire this week have caused increased levels of flooding, particularly in Cottam and Ingol.

And after a disagreement with Lancashire county councillors over insufficient drainage on Tanterton Hall Road, Ingol, coun. John Potter used his garden gnome to show the depth of the flooding.

After complaining to the council about the issue, they have simply told people to cross the road.

He said: "There is one section of this road that floods every year and there still isn't any form of drainage there to stop it happening. It becomes completely unusable and even for most of the year, people need to be wearing wellies or boots.

"I have sent pictures to County Hall asking for something to be done about this because families and children are having to walk out into the road.

"A lot of people don't drive in the area and it means that mums and children have to wade through water or cross the road, which is wide and often very busy and dangerous.

"The council told me that they found no hazards when they inspected the area, so I used my garden gnome to show the scale of the depth and it was a funny way to get the message across.

"I will be going out again when the weather isn't as bad as it currently is, to show that this is still a problem. In an ideal world, it would be better for the council to just fix the drainage issues going forward."

He also claims that residents have complained about the persistent flooding which covers part of a footpath adjacent to the main road.

The gnome, which he called Pothole Paul, is 10 inches tall, and is pictured sat in roughly eight inches of water.

However, a Lancashire County Council spokesperson said that the flooding was "nothing that would cause a hazard or require further action" when the area was inspected last October.

They added: "As these photos show, the area does hold water for a time following a period of persistent heavy rain when many other places may also experience temporary surface water flooding, however from our observations this will drain away naturally.

"When this footway is temporarily flooded we would recommend that pedestrians cross to the footway on the other side of Tanterton Hall Road which does not have the same issues."

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 per month for the first two months. Try us today by ​clicking here.