A road that becomes impassable 'every time it rains' has been closed for a drainage investigation.
Heavy rainfall in September spelled disaster for motorists travelling around Amersham, with the road underneath the town's railway bridge closing twice in one week after cars got stranded in the floodwater.
Amersham resident Christopher Barratt told this newspaper that Rectory Hill posed safety issues to drivers "every time there's more than a heavy shower" – and Buckinghamshire Council pledged to find a long-term solution to the issue after the most recent disruption.
True to its word, a four-day closure of the route, which connects Amersham Old Town to Amersham on the Hill, began at 8am today, October 28, for a drainage investigation.
Contractor Balfour Beatty will try to pinpoint the reason for the recurring flooding and clear out a metal gully on the stretch before the closure is lifted on Thursday, October 31.
A recommended diversion route takes motorists through Station Road, London Road West, Gore Hill, The Broadway, Market Square and Church Street and vice versa.
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Reports of flooding on Rectory Hill made to the council's FixMyStreet platform last summer called for a "better surface water drainage system" to offset the problem.
They also suggested that the waterlogging was caused by "rainwater flowing from Oakfield Corner down to the bridge because road gullies (hadn't been) cleared and were filled with silt and debris".
Steven Broadbent, the council's cabinet member for transport, said work was underway to "provide a new, more permanent solution for drainage and handling water" on the road.
He described it as a part of the county that was especially vulnerable to flooding and said he recognised the inconvenience caused by bad weather and its impact on local roads.
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