Kennel owner's frustration after two-year flooding row

Kev Davidson, owner of Edencroft Kennels in Hesketh Lane, says his outdoor runs and garden area become flooded every time there is prolonged rainfall, because thousands of tons of waste were excavated and dumped over a shared drain at the rear of his property.

A row has broken out because Mr Davidson says that Lancashire County Council and Ribble Valley Borough Council have failed to investigate the matter properly or take any enforcement action, which has exacerbated the problem.

But the two authorities say investigations have found "no significant impact" to the land, and that the householders have responsibility for the shared drain.

Now Mr Davidson and his neighbours - who own the drain - could face court enforcement action to rectify the issue.

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Mr Davidson said: "The outside runs of the kennels get three inches of water in them. It's severely affecting the business, and it's affecting our health.

"When it rains I am getting up in the middle of the night, checking."

He added: “The last two-and-a-half years since reporting our complaint have been awful and no residents should have to live like this. To eventually threaten the complainant just before lockdown with enforcement action and financial loss is nothing more than organisational narcissism."

The two authorities say they have both investigated at length.

RVBC claim there was evidence of problems with the drain in the area from before any excavation work was carried out, and that it is the house owners' responsibility to sort it out.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "We investigated the infilling work which had been carried out on this site following a complaint in 2018 by which time the tipping operations appeared to have ceased and restoration work completed.

"As the restoration appeared to have been carried out to an acceptable standard with no significant impact to the landscape or patterns of water run-off it was not considered necessary to take enforcement action or require a retrospective planning application. However we did write to the landowner to advise them of their responsibilities in case of any further activity at the site.

"If neighbours have evidence of drainage issues having now developed we would ask them to get in touch with the details so that we can understand them and consider any further action which may be necessary."

Mr Davidson has lodged a complaint with the ombudsman against Ribble Valley Borough Council.