Residents dig trenches around homes to beat floods

A group of residents say they managed to save their homes from flooding by digging trenches around their estate.

As severe flooding hit Leicestershire earlier this week, prompting a major incident, neighbours and volunteers at the Grange Park estate in Loughborough decided to take matters into their own hands.

Residents said an attenuation pool near the development - designed to store rain water and prevent flooding - had overflowed, putting their properties at risk.

Despite a few "blue fingers", the group said they were able to prevent what could have been "devastating" floods.

Katie Anderson, who lives on the estate, was one of those who joined the effort and said they began digging at about 06:45 GMT, continuing for almost four hours.

"It was scary but I think everyone just pulled together. We were able to prevent a lot of houses from being flooded," she said.

The residents worked their way down the path, digging trenches and dams, in Alan Turing Road, following the flow of water throughout the day.

Videos of their efforts showed water flowing down makeshift trenches as volunteers continued to dig.

"I know people had blue fingers after digging trenches, but we took it in turns and had breaks and cups of tea and coffees were given out - but it was back-breaking," Ms Anderson added.

Ms Anderson claimed the attenuation pool at the top of the path had not been maintained, adding she and other residents had struggled to find out who was responsible for the problem.

She said residents had contacted numerous organisations, including Charnwood Borough Council and the estate's owners William Davis Homes, about who was responsible for dealing with the issue, in the hope that future problems could be prevented.

It comes as hundreds of people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland were displaced by flooding this week, with more than 80 rescued by crews who later stood down the major incident.

Councils in the area have since called on the government to release cash to help flood-hit areas, saying flooding needed "propelling to the top of the agenda".

Environment Secretary Steve Reed visited nearby Quorn on Thursday to see the impact of flooding and reiterate that the government would be investing £2.4 billion over two years for flood defences.

A spokesperson for the borough council added: "The housing estate is owned by William Davis. If there are any issues with flooding, it is their responsibility to investigate and resolve.

"On 1 January 2025, the council did take on some maintenance responsibilities for the area, including grass cutting, litter collection and checking drainage structures. These will be added to our regular schedules."

David Dodge, operations director at William Davis, said: "Our understanding is that [the issue] was caused by a blockage to a balancing pond located adjacent to Mucklin Wood, which was not part of Grange Park, and is the responsibility of a third party.

"Notwithstanding that management of open spaces at Grange Park has been transferred to Charnwood Borough Council, we continue to assist the local authority to resolve this situation."

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