Cornwall Council has denied that flooding that devastated a number of Truro businesses at the weekend was caused by faulty drains.
On Sunday Cornwall Live reported how a freak rain deluge saw business owners in New Bridge Street left mopping up the mess after the downpour at 3pm.
A number of businesses were affected, one of the worst being Rocco’s Gin and Retro Bar.
Then on Monday Rocco’s owner Lee Denton invited Cornwall Live onto the premises where he and his staff were still trying to repair the water damage before reopening to the public.
Lee pointed the finger of blame at the council, saying that blocked drains were to blame for the damage to his business and that nothing had been done to address the problem from when it last occurred.
Lee was joined by Ann Westgarth, from Bridge Street Barbers. Bridge Street Barbers was also affected with an inch of water flooding into the shop. Ann took it upon herself to remove leafy piles of sludge from a drain to ease the water build-up, something she said made her feel sick.
Cornwall Council has now issued a statement saying it picked up on no defect following the last inspection of the drains and the flooding was due to “extreme rainfall”.
A Cornwall Council spokesman said: “We carry out six-monthly inspections and cleaning of the highways drainage at New Bridge Street, Truro.
“Our last inspection was in February 2019 and no defects were identified. The extreme rainfall event that took place in Truro on Sunday was of high intensity and short duration and we attended the site following an emergency call being logged.
“A high level of surface water and debris had washed down to the low point of New Bridge Street covering the metal grills of the drains. When this material was cleared the accumulated surface water drained down very quickly.
“There is not an underlying, structural problem and litter is cleared from New Bridge Street on a daily basis. We would advise residents and business owners to report any issues to us via 0300 1234 222 or website.”
