Woman’s house in Doncaster flooded after man “blocked drain”

A woman whose home flooded shortly after she moved back in following repairs for previous water damage has discovered that a “man-made dam” was partly responsible.

Lavinia Raywood’s property was one of four in Stainforth, near Doncaster, affected by surface water flooding in January and a new council report has confirmed that a man who blocked a nearby drain with soil was a factor in the incident.

The report stated that the flooding was caused by a combination of “intense meteorological conditions, infrastructure limitations, and human intervention”.

Ms Raywood said: “I don’t know the person, but they haven’t done it to flood us, they’ve done it to save their own home. In the same situation, that’s what they’ll do again.”

Her house, which she shares with her two daughters, was also flooded in 2019.

City of Doncaster Council’s investigation found that a local resident admitted “to placing soil to block a drain” at the entrance of a culvert close to nearby railway lines.

The report continued: “This action appears to have been taken in an attempt to manage surface water retention.

“However, when the resident later attempted to release the water in a controlled fashion, the force of the flow breached the remaining soil dam, leading to a sudden and unregulated surge of water into the drainage system downstream.”

The investigation also found issues with the drainage infrastructure, which contributed to the flooding.

At a second culvert downstream from the one deliberately dammed, inspectors found dense and decaying vegetation was acting as an obstruction, reducing the efficiency of the waterway.

After the January flooding, Ms Raywood moved back into the static caravan on her driveway that she had been using while the original damage was repaired.

Her family had used their own money to “flood-proof” their home with new defences, including raising the ground floor’s height.

They were finally able to return to their house in April.

Ms Raywood admitted that there were “no surprises” in the council report.

She said: “The water was flowing upstream and water doesn’t flow that way, so something somewhere was sending it back.

“You didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to work that out.”

The investigation made a number of recommendations, including that Doncaster East Internal Drainage Board (DEIDB) undertake a “comprehensive condition survey” of the local drainage network.

It also said the organisation should “review” and “enhance” its routine maintenance schedule in the area for removing debris, vegetation and silt from the culverts.

Doncaster Council was recommended to “consider commissioning a strategic drainage review or study for the Haggs Wood catchment”, subject to “prioritisation and the availability of funding”.

Earlier this month, the investigation findings were accepted by City of Doncaster Council’s executive director of place, Dan Swaine.

The report stated the council would, as a result, “work with relevant partners to implement the recommended outcomes and actions identified in the report”.

Despite the findings being published, Ms Raywood said she still felt “in limbo”.

“Nothing’s changed here. Two weeks ago the dyke was high. I was up with my neighbour every hour checking it, we’re still on flood watch taking turns on the night shift.

“There’s only a few of us here. We’re not a housing estate, so there’s not enough of us to kick up a stink to make anything more happen.”