Staffordshire County Council cleaned and emptied a total of 67,745 gullies last year, as part of a catalogue of efforts to prevent flooding across the county. 

Gully cleaning – the process of removing waste and other blockages from drains – is one of the many proactive tasks undertaken by Staffordshire Highways to ensure healthy drainage across the county. 

The county council has invested over £2.5 million into flood prevention measures from April 2023 to March 2024, which include: 

• Jetting Activities: High pressure jet-washers clear debris in non-running and slow-running gullies. 
• Drainage/Camera Surveys: These find out why drainage systems are not working so highways crews know how to fix or unblock them. 
• Drainage Dig Downs: If it is found that the faulty gully is caused by damage to existing drainage runs, highways crews will dig down and replace the pipework. 
• Ditching Maintenance: Drainage ditches allow water to drain from the road where there is sometimes no connection to a mains drainage system. Please note that the responsibility of maintaining the majority of drainage ditches lies with the adjoining landowners. 
• Linear Drainage Cleansing: Cleaning kerb drainage, slot drains and ACO drains. 
• Attendance at Emergency Flooding incidents: Sites are attended by Staffordshire Highways crews to resolve flooding incidents and take measures to keep members of the public safe such as closing waterlogged roads. 

Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, David Williams, said: “The flooding and strong winds brought by Storm Henk and Storm Isha last month really put our highways crews to the test. This is why, as a county council, we invested over £2.5 million into preventative maintenance over the last year so that Staffordshire is as prepared as it can be when adverse weather hits. 

“Our crews cleared over 67,000 gullies last year to maintain our healthy drainage system and reduce floodwater as much as possible. Other measures include maintaining drainage ditches and sending teams out to roads that have been flooded so they can make those areas safe. 

“We also recognise that road defects are often exacerbated by bad weather, which is why we have invested £50 million pounds into repairing our roads over three years. This enabled us to fix more than 16,000 potholes last year.” 

In 2023, Staffordshire County Council announced it will be investing an extra £50m over three years for repairs and essential maintenance, over and above any government grant.