Falls in funding for local authorities are being blamed for a rise in the number of roads being flooded, because councils cannot afford to clear storm drains before bad weather.

The Telegraph reports The River Otter burst its banks in Devon on Tuesday morning as it swelled to a record 2.83 metres deep following heavy rain, but that Vicky Johns, mayor of Ottery St Mary in Devon, which the river runs through, said real-terms cuts to government funding meant Devon county council (DCC) no longer cleared drains before heavy rainfall.

The technique was previously used to prevent leaves and mud stopping floodwater from draining.

“Years ago the council would pay for people to clean the drains,” she told The Telegraph. “Now they don’t have the funding they used to. DCC doesn’t get anywhere near as much money as it should.

“An awful lot of the issues are because government funding has been cut right back. We need more money down here.”

The newspaper adds that the Liberal Democrat-led council has previously said it “expects a reduction in Government support over the next three years, placing greater pressure on local resources”.

Peter Faithfull, independent councillor for Ottery on East Devon district council, added “debris blocking the drains” was responsible for “a lot of the road flooding”.

“So many of the floods are simply blocked drains, it really is ridiculous,” he said. “We don’t get enough funding. Over the years the Government just keeps cutting down.”

The report also says that Cllr Julian Brazil, leader of Devon county council, warned residents that they would “experience the very real impact of decades of under‑investment in sea defences, flood alleviation schemes, and roads and rail infrastructure”.

“Our council officers have done an amazing job of patching up roads, keeping them open, and supporting residents affected by flooding, but there is only so much we can do when the Government continues to deliver real-terms cuts in funding,” he said.

(File picture of flooding – National Highways)