Staffordshire County Council must spend more money on maintaining the Stafford to Gnosall Greenway to prevent nearby homes being flooded in bad weather - urged a local Councillor this week.

Barry Stamp, County Councillor for Gnosall Division, said he was worried that lack of maintenance on the drains running alongside the old railway line bed - that forms the Greenway - was causing flooding in the Station Road area of Haughton.

"Over the past few years, houses near to the Greenway in Station Road, Haughton have suffered from flooding on numerous occasions - a situation that is getting steadily worse. In the latest incident two weeks ago, the gardens and septic tanks of two houses were flooded following a bout of heavy rain. Having visited the site, it is clear that most of the water that caused the flood was running off the old railway line which runs close to the properties. It is also clear that not only has maintenance on the old track side drains not taken place for years, but also that the building of the car-park and picnic area on the site of the old station has resulted in some sections of drains being removed entirely. This means that the large amount of water that runs along the line has nowhere to go but through the gardens of adjoining properties. I will be asking for representatives of the County Council's Countryside Department to meet with me on site to discuss how this problem can be overcome. While I realise the maintenance of the drains on this stretch of old railway line will not be a high priority in terms of County Council spending, something has to be done to protect the homes of local residents," said Cllr Stamp.