Finchingfield 300-year-old family home being damaged

Henrietta Edwards, 45, has been a resident of Duck End, Finchingfield, for 18 years, and lives at her family’s home on the B1057.

Since September last year, four drains in the road outside the cottage have become blocked and have not been cleared by Essex Highways.

This has resulted in the road becoming full of floodwater.

Splash - A vehicle about to pass the family cottage (Image: Henrietta Edwards)

Something needs to be done - Henrietta Edwards standing outside her family home (Image: Henrietta Edwards)

The situation has got so bad that Henrietta and her family have had to put up wooden boards in front of the property to protect its old, fragile windows and door from the water.

The floodwater hits the cottage as motorists drive through the road and the water has seeped through the door into the house.

Henrietta, her sister, and other residents have reported the issue to Essex Highways and raised it through official channels such as local councillors, but nothing has been done.

She said: “It’s a very special place, not just for me but for my family as well.

“It has been going on for months and months.

Not fixed - The broken drain cover and one of the full road gullies (Image: Henrietta Edwards)

Close-up - Henrietta's family home with the wooden boards set up outside it (Image: Henrietta Edwards)

“It has been reported online to Essex Highways by myself and others numerous times.

“On December 18 last year, we raised the issue with Essex councillor Tom Cunningham.

“There has been correspondence back and forth with Essex Highways, but nothing has happened to date."

Every time the family leave the house and walk across the road to reach their cars, they are at risk of being splashed by the dirty floodwater.

Henrietta’s 82-year-old mother has been drenched by the water.

Henrietta said: “I feel anxious, I could cry now. It’s just awful as they won’t do anything about it.

“I know numerous people have reported these problems. If it freezes, it would be a death trap.

“I appreciate the roads are terrible for everyone, but our house is being damaged.”

The family say Mr Cunningham has said Essex Highways inspected the road on February 22, and is adding it to their drains investigation list.

A spokesman for Essex Highways said: “We carry out inspections and drain cleaning across the county every year.

"However, due to the recent high levels of rainfall and flooding across the county, it is taking longer for water levels to drain in some maintained gullies, or drainage owned by water authorities.

“When road flooding issues are reported to us, we visit the site and carry out gully cleansing and jetting if necessary.

“We have to prioritise defects according to their risk and encourage residents to report issues through our tell us tool at essexhighways.org/tell-us.