Flooding strikes again on Merseyside Roads
Photographs and report by Patrick Trollope

FLOODING chaos struck again on the roads, in and around Merseyside as torrential rain overwhelmed drainage across the area swamping many roads, including main routes. On what was fatefully the 13 August 2012, thunder storms hit a large part of Merseyside, with many of Sefton's roads being turned into rivers. The Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service was reported to have been inundated with calls for help after storm drainage systems failed in an area that covered parts of Liverpool, the Wirral, Crosby, Bootle, Formby and Southport. So on Monday our editor went out to see for himself what was going on. Lord Street, in places, was awash, and the resort's Coastal Road, (Marine Drive, B62) was severely flooded from Weld Road to the Fairway. Some areas were also extremely deep and made driving very difficult on both sides of the road. Other parts of Southport and surrounding areas were reported to have had the same issues. In Formby, where flooding has become a recurring problem on part of the road network, again water was lapping against the doors and walls of homes, causing damage. Sadly, as our editor Patrick discovered, some motorists thought it was funny to drive as speed through the water. One driver deliberately speeded up and tried to soak an elderly man who was trying desperately to clear a road drain outside his house. At the time the water was rising so high that it was actually hitting the sides of his home and leaking in. This young driver with a few other occupants spotted our editor in a high viz jacket, slammed on his brakes, just before his car came along the side of the resident. He then started with a torrent of sarcastic abuse. If you are affected by flooding and have the horrid task of cleaning up the aftermath, you will know it can be a rather unpleasant job. Even worse if you are trying to get the drains to work! So when the resident and our editor asked why he and his passengers thought it was funny to do this they were quite taken back by the driver’s response. They said:- "It is only water... Get a life..." What they do not think is that this "Water" is not clean... Floodwater can be contaminated with sewage, chemicals and animal waste. Nice... Now would they like it washing into their homes? Oddly, we wonder if they know that if you do splash a pedestrian deliberately, and if it can be proven, it can constitute an assault in the UK. The driver in this case, if he has splashed the resident, he wouldn't have a leg to stand on, if pictured and/or videoed. In this case it could easily fall as an offence Under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. It states that:- "it is an offence to perform a clear act of incompetence, selfishness, impatience or aggressiveness which causes inconvenience to other road users." In other words, driving without due care and attention. The Crown Prosecution Service specifically includes:- "driving through a puddle causing pedestrians to be splashed" within its description of this section of the act. So be warned if you think it is funny to spray people with water deliberately! Another resident on the Church Road (B5424) said:- "People just do not think about the effects of the wash their driving has on the water. Please ask your readers to think before driving at speed thought flood water. They should be extra careful, if it gets in it can and does cause a lot of damage and already it is lapping against them!" On the same night a taxi driver, who also informed us that Bootle was badly affected, added:- "These Muppets don't realise, or do not care. They also endanger themselves as the flood water can hide all types of things, from open man-hole covers to bricks and worse. If hit they can end up skidding all over the place. Not only that they can also aquaplane!"  The most obvious piece of advice we can provide to all road user is to avoid flooded areas if at all possible. Seek an alternative route. If you did not know, most cars can float in as little 2 feet = 0.609 6 meter of water, so remember don’t drive through flood water if you are unsure of its depth! Don’t forget that in low levels of water your braking distance is greatly extended, so keep your speed down at all times! Drive steadily creating only a small bow wave in front of you. Also, if you get water in the exhaust it can stall the engine. So driving faster does not mean you get through faster. In fact you may just drive water into your engine and do some serious damage! Drive in a low gear, keeping the revs as high as you can, within sensible limits. Keep if you can to the middle of the road as the waters can tend to be deeper along the kerbs, but only do this if safe to do so! You should never drive through a flood area, if there are other vehicles coming in the other direction. The waves coming from their movement can obscure your vision and could also flood your engine. Remember you can’t see what's under the water, especially at night! Have good contact with your steering wheel at all times and concentrate. Do not stop in the floodwater if you can help it. Lastly, do not forget to test your brakes once you pass through, providing there are no other vehicles immediately behind you. For more good advice about driving in floods see the AA website. So what do you do if flooding affects your road? If your road gets flooded you can report it via using the DirectGov website.

If you are trying to dislodge blockages on your property, remember the flood water can hide hidden dangers. When dealing with floodwater and/or clearing up, you should always:-

1. Wear protective clothing, like rubber gloves, waterproof jacket and trousers

2. Use a face mask

3. Wash your hands with disinfectant if you come into contact with floodwater, or handle anything that has been in contact with floodwater

4. If you start to feel unwell, call NHS Direct on:- 0845 4647 or contact your GP. Please note that the NHS Direct service is for people in UK only.

5. Beware of hidden dangers like open man-holes.

A Met Office spokesman told us that:- “We have had over the last few days more than the average rain fall. On Monday night for example over 3.5cm fell in Liverpool, in just an hour.”

If you have been affected by the flooding contact us and let us know by emailing us to:- news24@merseyreporter.com.