OVERFLOWING drains may be a persistent problem, but for 27 years excessive flooding has been tormenting an Orford street.

When the rain pours, the residents of Canberra Square watch their drains bubble over and prepare for another deluge.

The flooding has been so severe that, at times, parking on the street is impossible with neighbours often forced to clamber over each other’s walls to gain access to their properties.

Regular complaints have been made to Warrington Borough Council, with long-term resident Bob Haskew-Jones often taking the lead.

Mr Haskew-Jones, who has lived in Canberra Square for 27 years, claims council workmen have often visited the area and identified the problem, but he is yet to see any tangible results.

He said: “It goes on every year, throughout the year. The council has made promises but nothing ever seems to get done.”

But there is no obligation for the council to intervene. The drains are on unadopted land, meaning they are the responsibility of the company, United Utilities.

United Utilities spokesman, Christian Ewen, said: “Firstly we would like to apologise to Mr Haskew-Jones and residents of Canberra Square who have experienced ongoing flooding problems during heavy rainfall.

“We have carried out on-site investigations and can see that Mr Haskew-Jones’s property drains into a surface water system – a separate system on the network – which in turn outfalls to a watercourse.

“Flooding in this area is caused when heavy rainfall occurs and river levels rise.

“Customers may have experienced problems during the heavy rainfall over the first weekend of September, which caused river levels to rise considerably.

“Our engineers have met with Warrington Borough Council and the Environment Agency and we will work closely with the Environment Agency as it assesses the river system in the area.”