Flood reduction guidance given to Isle of Wight landowners

Recent heavy rainfall has seen flooding on the Island, with many incidents of highway flooding being caused by run-off from adjoining land.

Island Roads has urged landowners to follow the Highways Act, which states that they must have adequate drainage systems in place to prevent water, vegetation, and other debris from straying onto the highway.

Landowners' drainage systems must also be maintained and cleared of obstruction.

Flooding at Riverview Court near Morton Common (Image: IWCP)

Anyone who owns land next to a watercourse is responsible for maintaining the watercourse's bed and banks to prevent flooding.

Island roads have emphasised that the Island's highway drainage system is designed to take away rainwater that has fallen onto the road network, and not designed to carry away additional ‘runoff’ water from adjoining land.  

A flood alert was issued for Eastern Yar after almost half a month's rainfall in 24 hours.

Dave Wallis, Island Roads operations and maintenance manager said: “While in the most extreme weather the highway drainage system can still be overwhelmed, there are steps landowners can and should take to reduce that risk.

“There are many instances of highway flooding that have been caused by landowners failing to ensure proper drainage is in place.

The result is that run-off water, typically brown in colour, enters the network and overwhelms or blocks highway drainage systems.

“We are always happy to speak to landowners about their legal responsibility to prevent this sort of flooding and what steps they can or should take.

"The great majority of landowners do a really good job in managing their land but it only takes one oversight to cause a great deal of local disruption and inconvenience.”