ANGRY Exmouth residents have blamed the district council for street floods – claiming the local authority were failing to clean drains. Homeowners and businesspeople based in New Street and The Colonies, areas affected by torrential rain which hit the tow

ANGRY Exmouth residents have blamed the district council for street floods - claiming the local authority were failing to clean drains.

Homeowners and businesspeople based in New Street and The Colonies, areas affected by torrential rain which hit the town two weeks ago, feel the council should be doing more to tackle the issue.

Worried about possible future flooding, Ann Bell, who lives on New Street, believes East Devon District Council do not keep the drains clear often enough and they were constantly blocked.

The 71-year-old, who has lived on the road for three years, said this contributed to the area being flooded as a result, during periods of heavy rain.

"The council do not do enough to keep the drains from being blocked. They smell as well as and should be maintained more."

Tim Cope, 48, of Rolle Road, owns the Glory Hall, a second-hand furniture and antiques shop on New Street.

He said: "I have called EDDC a number of times because a drain outside my business is blocked.

"One lady I spoke with said 'yes, yes - it's a priority of ours' and nothing has been done. I think they are reactive rather than proactive. Drains haven't been cleared for a long while.

"The only thing they have actually done is to repaint the surfaces where disabled spaces are."

An EDDC spokesperson said the authority delivered 280 sandbags to residents whose homes were in danger of being flooded after bad weather earlier this month.

And, where complaints of unattended blocked drains were concerned, he explained that council staff often found it difficult to access them because of awkwardly-parked cars.

But, Dallas Schofield, who also lives on New Street, said: "It would not be an accessibility problem with cars if it was just made residential parking but people from all over the town park here.

"I have never seen the council cleaning the drains for more than a year.