Petition launched over flooded path

A petition has been launched by the Liberal Democrats to put right a flooded path in the Quedgeley area of Gloucester.

Before Christmas, the heavy rains brought floodwater across the city.

Since then, the waters have retreated and life has gone back to normal but that is not the case for one area in Quedgeley which still remains flooded and muddy.

The path behind the Causeway leading towards Highclere and Green Farm suffered badly as many other places across the city did.

This flooding was not helped due to a combination of overgrown ditches and debris limiting the flow of water leaving the area.

Gloucester City Council has taken action to clear some areas though others remain full of rubbish and debris.

After the water levels dropped they left behind large areas of soft mud and huge puddles.

One such puddle is at the bottom of Shelduck Road where the path remains flooded and impassable without wellies.

Community activists for the Liberal Democrats in Quedgeley, Liam Harries and David Bebbington, want to see this section of path behind Shelduck Road pumped to remove trapped water and a new temporary surface put down.

Mr Harries said: "If left in its current state the site will likely remain wet and muddy for months to come as the water saturates the ground below.

"In the longer term, this path needs some serious investment but short term we would like to see a temporary surface such as wood chipping's or gravel put down to quickly deal with the particularly muddy spots."

Mr Bebbington added: "The area at the bottom of Shelduck Road is by far the worst spot but is not the only one.

"A bad patch can be found at the other end of the path between Green Farm and Taylors Ground and there are many more in-between."

The city council was contacted requesting action to make the paths usable again but has refused to tackle the issue.

The council stated: "As there is no risk of flooding to property it would not generally receive funding for works."

A petition has been set up in the hope to encourage the council to make the path usable again.

The petition can be found at: http://gl.lib.dm/P33G