Blocked gullies and gutters in Swindon have prompted calls for the town's council to clean up its act.

A Conservative councillor has pressed the Labour administration to ensure its performance in clearing gullies and gutters along roads is adequate in order to prevent drains from being blocked and flooding streets.

Councillor Suresh Gattapur told the Local Democracy Reporter: “One of the most common reasons that residents get in touch with me and my colleagues across the council is their concern about weeds growing in the road gullies and channels.

"Flooding caused by blocked gullies is all too visible when we have a period of heavy rain.

“We all know that weeds can damage pavements, displace kerbstones and paving slabs, and even cause cracks in walls or tarmac. If weeds grow in road gullies and channels they can slow down and, at worst, block the drainage systems.

"Clean-up can then be more costly as weeds can also trap litter and debris.

“I am sure we all enjoy the biodiversity that weeds can bring to our urban areas especially being a great source of habitat for our precious pollinators.

"However, we must balance this with road safety and the needs of pavement users to be able to walk without encountering trip hazards.

“This is why I have asked the cabinet member to reassure me that there is a clear policy and programme in place for weeding and clearing road gullies and drains across the borough and to provide us with the schedule so that residents can be updated as necessary.”

Cllr Gattapur’s question was answered by the cabinet member for highways and the environment Councillor Chris Watts.

He said: “I can reassure you that the council has a programme for both gully cleaning and weed treatment.

“The management plan we have in place has assessed each gully and determined the risk categories and cleansing frequency.

"The frequency of cleans span between five yearly cleans to six monthly cleans and we clean around 16,000 gullies per year.

A programme is generated monthly for the operations team to carry out these cleans.”

Councillor Watts added: “The service did comprise of three wagons and three drivers. The rota was to sweep gritting routes four times yearly and estate roads once a year. In 2017, as part of the year-on-year cuts by the central government, the service was reduced to two wagons and drivers.

“Later in 2017, one of the vehicles became unserviceable and was removed.

"The decision was made by the previous administration not to replace it. At the point where I became cabinet member in May 2023 there were no trained drivers on duty and the service had been sporadic for several years.”