A LINNVALE resident has expressed her frustration as the street that she lives on flooded for a third time in seven days.

Adrienne Kane told the Post that the issue affecting the Livingstone Street area has been ongoing for around three decades - but that now “it’s just constant”.

The 78-year-old said that she believes the issue lies with the area’s drains.

Mrs Kane said: “It’s just constant. It’s happening more and more and I think it’s a lot to do with them not doing the drains.

“Someone used to come round about three times a year and clear them, but they don’t seem to be doing that now.

“It’s never happened as often as this. It used to have to be heavy rain before it would flood, but this time it wasn’t even that heavy.

“It doesn’t seem to bother everyone, but it bothers me.

"I think it’s the drains, because you stand and watch when it’s raining, we did this last weekend, and then all of a sudden it stops going away in the middle of the road, the water stays and it just starts to spread all the way across and that’s it.

“If it’s up on the pavement I can’t get out of my gate. I can’t go anywhere until it goes away.”

Adrienne said that in some previous instances that she has had to walk barefoot up the street to her home as the water was a few inches deep.

She added: “I’ve had to walk home a few times up that path in my bare feet. You couldn’t come up in your shoes as they would get wrecked.

“We’ve seen people climb over the fence into the garden on the other side of the street to get past the main road.

“A lot of folk don’t seem to bother. They’re in cars, but people have to walk down this street. There are kids walking down that road to go to school.”

Adrienne explained that she would like West Dunbartonshire Council, who are responsible for the area’s drainage system, to not only clear the drains but to maintain them as she feels this would help solve the problem.

“The last time where the rain was heavy we watched it flood right up the garden," she continued.

"The water was running down from Shinwell Avenue. It didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

“Then someone came out to clear the drains as they were jammed up on Shinwell, and they’ve not had the issue down there since then.

“My friend stays in that area, and she wasn’t flooded at the weekend, but our street was.

"In some cases even the bins were floating out there, and the flower pots. Everything was floating.

“Someone needs to get this sorted and keep it sorted. We’ve had to have our garden path power washed before as my husband has COPD and we don’t want him catching anything because the water is all grey coming up from the drains.”

West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) has said that the issue is due to "low capacity" in a nearby combined sewer which is owned and maintained by Scottish Water.

A WDC spokesperson said: "While the council regularly cleans out gullies, this flooding is due to low capacity in a nearby combined sewer which is owned and maintained by Scottish Water.

"We are continuing to liaise with them to ensure a solution is identified."

A Scottish Water spokesperson added: "Scottish Water’s responsibility is draining foul waste from toilets and kitchens, and surface water from roofs and paved areas of properties while managing flood risk from the sewer network.

“Our infrastructure in this area is working as it should. When sewer flooding is reported to us, we will always attend and support clean-ups for customers.

“Our investment priorities lie with helping customers who are affected by internal sewer flooding within their homes.

“We ask members of the public to contact us immediately should they experience sewer flooding incidents.

“Due to the complex nature of flooding across Scotland, with many agencies responsible for different aspects of the sewerage and drainage systems in communities, a partnership approach is vital for reducing the risk of flooding.

“Scottish Water continues to work with West Dunbartonshire Council who have overall responsibility for road drainage as well as being the designated flood authority, managing the risk of flooding from surface water, river and coastal sources.

Local MP Martin Docherty-Hughes told the Post that he will be pressing both Scottish Water and WDC to take action as the issue has been going on "for far too long now".

He said: “I’m grateful to residents who have taken time to respond to my survey and speak up about the adverse impact of flooding in Linnvale.

“Flash flooding during heavy rain has been impacting Livingstone Street and surrounding roads for far too long now.

"Residents tell me they’ve had property damaged during flooding and are concerned about vulnerable people being ‘cut-off’ due to access problems.

“I’m currently consulting with the emergency services about the need to tackle flooding locally.

"I will be pressing both Scottish Water and the council to take the action needed and provide an update for residents in due course.”