1. Good ditching required, not technology.

I think it is about time you sorted out the problem of flooding on the A417 at East Challow, which has been allowed to become so bad that it has caused the road to breakup, in your terminology it’s now a “failed road surface”. Some drivers are using alternative routes to avoid this road. Can I make a few suggestions from my observation of when the waterways were under the control of the Thames Conservancy and there was never a problem with flooding in front of the industrial estate at on the A417 at East Challow. Please see the attached map and note the yellow arrows, indicating the extent of the ditches that need reinstating. Things to address: 1. Gain permission of the land owner(s) for access to the field side of the ditches with an excavator, to avoid lengthy road closures as traffic needs to use the A417 and gain access to the industrial estate.

2. Starting in the direction of my arrows remove the hedge that has been allowed to grow in the ditch.

3. The culvert under Silver Lane needs to be cleaned out so that the water can flow through it.

4. Using a qualified excavator operator who is skilled at digging ditches, so that they are deep enough and increasing in depth as they move through the fields to enhance the flow of the water away from road and back into the drainage system. See the arrows as they move from the A417 down across the fields, this ditch needs to be reinstated because it is blocked and the water is now flowing back from the fields onto the road.

5. Resurface the “failed road”, so drivers can use it without worrying about damaging their vehicles.

6. The ditches need regular maintenance every 2-3 years so that the problem does not reoccur.