Flood-hit residents in Shropshire village may have 'light at the end of the tunnel'

Hadnall, north of Shrewsbury, has been prone to periodic flooding after any heavy rainfall, with water submerging gardens and getting into houses.

One resident even reported putting clingfilm over their toilet to stop the dirty water from spilling into their house.

Villagers believe the issues have got worse ever since the Abbot Drive housing estate was built in 2019.

The estate was constructed by Gallier Homes, which has since been absorbed into Cameron Homes. The developer had not responded to the Local Democracy Reporting Service’s request for a comment, but had previously told the BBC it was not confident the problems were not a result of its work.

Pam Stephenson, who lives next to the sewage pump station, said she has experienced constant flooding, including last October.

“I’m just getting the house back together,” she said.

“I wasn’t in a rush to get it sorted because I was frightened all winter that it would happen again.

“I’ve lost very little in the house other than carpets, but it’s the disruption.”

Earlier this year, Reverend Paul Cawthorne, an environmental campaigner, organised a meeting where villagers could air their concerns.

“I didn’t realise until the meeting we had that so many people were affected,” added Mrs Stephenson.

Severn Trent says it is working on a ‘holistic approach’ to ‘get to the root of the problem’ alongside the Environment Agency, Shropshire Council and Hadnall Parish Council. The firm has also submitted a comment on Shropshire Council’s planning portal in respect to an application for 45 houses in the village – saying it has ‘serious concerns’ regarding the impact the additional flow the proposed development will generate.

Severn Trent has therefore requested that no house shall be occupied until the required improvements to the public wastewater network have been fully implemented and completed, which should be by 2028.

“They have been working on the pumping station, but they can’t just patch it -they need to restore it properly for the whole village,” said Mrs Stephenson.

“You’ve always got to wait until there’s heavy rain to know it has worked. But I can’t see it ever working until we get this old pipe sorted all the way up the main road, which has burst a few times over the years.”

Lorraine Lewis, who lives in Painsbrook Lane, added that vehicles can’t get through when flooding is bad.

“Our cars are left down the layby, which leaves them vulnerable,” she said.

“I’ve missed lots of events because I can’t get out and the fear I can’t get back in. We have to hang on to a farmer with a truck to take us home.

“It just upsets your way of life. In July 2019, it didn’t stop raining, and that was when our home got flooded.”

Jessica Hamlett, Shropshire waste team manager at Severn Trent said: “The issues around flooding in Hadnall are complex and include both surface water and river flooding.

“We are continuing to investigate the broader issues with colleagues at the county council and parish council to ensure all parties have a full understanding of these challenges.

“This will ensure that we’re proposing the best, most complementary solutions to help prevent future flooding.”