Readers have their say as Haven Road floods again

Haven Road, in the Hythe, has been plagued by flooding for decades while a permanent solution has never been found.

And the site was once again underwater this week after the tidal River Colne burst its banks while rain fell on the town, forcing the road to close.

A spokesman for Essex County Council’s travel department said a car had become stuck in the floodwater during yet more problematic scenes.

Pump - calls have been made to invest in a pump (Image: Newsquest)

Old Heath and Hythe councillor Mike Lilley has called on environment bosses at Essex County Council to purchase a pump, which could cost £100,000, to deal with the issue.

Gazette reader Tracey Luff-Johnson said: “This problem has been ongoing for well over 50 years, so I expect it has become a permanent feature now.

“That is the cheapest way to tackle this - do nothing.

“But they will continue to build and build in the area further straining this burdened piece of infrastructure.

Flooded - the Hythe has been plagued by the issue for decades (Image: Newsquest)

“Don’t buy a car folks, buy a dinghy if you have to use this route or find an alternative route.”

Dennis Allwood thanked the Gazette for its continued coverage of the problem impacting Haven Road.

He added: “This area was always flooded back in the 1980s when I worked around there, and still nothing has been done?”

While Dan Andrews said: “Since I’ve been 18, maybe even younger, this road has flooded, yet build, build, build.

Support - residents have called for help on the issue (Image: Newsquest)

“There used to be flood plains, guess what? We built on them. Where’s the water going to go?

“There has been over 20 years of it happening, and it’s still happening.”

Max Ruddock added: “Our BMW was written off last week after driving through this and getting stuck.”

A taskforce has been set up to try to find a solution to the problem but no work has yet started.