Skip to content

Park home residents worried about constant floods

Mo Burt A flooded front entrance to a house. There are two hedges and a blue archway leading to a property. There is a large pool of water in front of the hedges. Mo Burt
Residents at Wilby Residential Park say flooding has got worse

Park home residents have said they are increasingly worried about persistent flooding.

People living at Wilby Residential Park near Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, said long-standing drainage issues worsened when green spaces and hedges were removed and the area was covered with asphalt.

Wyldecrest Parks, the site's management company, said its team had "assessed" the flooding issue and said it was due to a leaky mains pipe which it believed was the responsibility of Anglian Water.

In response, Anglian Water said: "The pipework in question belongs to Wyldecrest, not Anglian Water, so it is their responsibility to make the necessary repair."

Residents said pooling water created ponds, and several properties' gardens and porches were swamped.

They told the BBC that even light rain lasting "30 minutes to an hour" can trigger significant flooding.

James Grant/BBC Gill Osborne, who is wearing a grey striped turtleneck jumper and a denim jacket with a fur collar, stands in front of a hedge. She has grey hair and is wearing sunglasses.James Grant/BBC
Gill Osborne says she has contacted Wyldecrest Homes several times about the flooding

Gill Osborne, 79, said: "Ever since [Wyldecrest Parks] got rid of the grass and replaced it with concrete, the rain has nowhere to go.

"It floods my front entrance, so I can't go out.

"Then when it freezes, it becomes like a frozen lake. We've sent photos and emails [to Wyldecrest Parks] but we've had no response."

Residents said a small leak on the site appeared to make the situation worse.

James Grant/BBC David McGovern, wearing a brown polo shirt, a blue coat stands and a brown wollen hat, stands next to his property. A path on the right hand side is covered in water.James Grant/BBC
A constant leak floods the entrance to David McGovern's property, which he says can cause a slip hazard

"It's very inconvenient to walk out of my house. It's very dangerous," said David McGovern, 82, who has lived at the park for nearly 20 years.

He said his wife has had a stroke and has dementia and "can't come out in these conditions".

Mr McGovern added: "The call back [from Wyldecrest Parks] never comes."

'It's very frightening'

Mo Burt, 73, said the flooding was particularly severe near her property,

She said: "When it's bad, you can't walk in it, and when it's very cold, it freezes.

"My biggest issue is trying to walk around when it's flooded. It's very frightening, some of us here are very vulnerable."

Simon Crook, 59, added: "It's disgusting.

"Surely they [Wyldecrest Parks] are responsible for sorting things like this. It's their land at the end of the day."

James Grant/BBC A pool of partially frozen water on a road at the site. It is full of dirt and rubble. A small yellow rubber duck is floating on the water.James Grant/BBC
Residents are worried about the pools of water, which stay for days and turn icy in cold weather

A spokesperson for Wyldecrest Parks said: "Our team has assessed the flooding issue on Wilby Park and it is down to a water leak on a mains pipe which is the responsibility of Anglian Water who supply water to each of the homes on the Park.

"We are raising a complaint with them as they have not responded to our previous correspondence."

An Anglian Water spokesperson said the pipework in question belonged to Wyldecrest Parks not Anglian Water, and it was Wyldecrest Park's responsibility to repair it.

They added: "We've informed them that they are legally obliged to do this as part of UK drinking water regulations and asked them to take action immediately."

Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

More stories like this
Related internet links