How many years does it take the Tories to fix a drain?

The answer is: we don't know because they haven't managed to yet; and according to residents in Tildesley Road the flooding they suffer every time it rains has been going on for years and years - as many as twenty according to some I spoke to yesterday.

The flooding in question affects one of the blocks above the shops in Tildesley Road: numbers 389-453 to be precise. Here's the cause of the problem - a drain completely clogged outside flat 425:



Residents told us that over the years so much rubbish has been forced down this drain by the cleaning crews - including animal excrement - that it just got more and more clogged.

And here's the damage that one blockage does - would you like the entrance to your home to be flooded like this week in, week out?:



Work to provide extra storage space for the shops below has filled-in the usual run-off for the flood water (that new wall at the back - which also makes the stairwell incredibly dark and dingy), so the water now just builds up and torrents down the steps, as you can see above.

Sadly, the problem's not unique: this is the concourse between the rows of shops: the main shopping area on the Ashburton estate which should be a focal point for the community. Now it's more like a great big pond.