Like Victoria Falls On Victoria Road In Romford.

St Alban’s Labour Councillor Jane Keane today writes:

Regular 370 and 496 bus users will have noticed the closure of Bus Stop W outside the Old Mill Parade in Victoria Road Romford. This road is in my ward – St Alban’s. This bus stop has now been closed for several weeks. The kerbside and road outside Old Mill Parade (for approximately 15 metres) has been permanently flooded by water seeping up from under the surface of the road. There is enough water to float a raft and carry passengers in it!

The flooding has also caused the road surface to break up. The company responsible for this particular leak below the surface is Essex and Suffolk Water. I and my colleague Jack Dobson Smith have made reports, site visits and phoned the company direct and can now confirm that a job has been raised. The leak will be repaired tomorrow. I would like to thank our team of Engineers for helping with my enquiry. I know that engineers cannot fix the road until the leak below it has been repaired. Then the bus service can be re-instated. Passengers will then be able to get on and off the bus at their convenient stop.

But let’s be frank, that on-going leak has had a negative impact on the local trading environment in Victoria Road for many weeks. It has resulted in disrupted trade and inconvenienced businesses, shoppers and workers. And that interruption is not a one-off. In response to a local resident’s query about unplanned road works in South Street I made some enquiries. I asked the Council’s Network Manager how many times planned and emergency works in Victoria Road and South Street had been undertaken. The response was illuminating and concerning. 

Firstly, the statistics neatly illustrate that there is an entire world of cables and pipework below your feet. It is quite marvellous. Modern life depends upon those services. But it is concerning because some of that infrastructure is aged and to get at it, roads and pavements have to be dug up and replaced. And they are dug up and replaced at great cost. This is work that is meant to be co-ordinated and planned but the statistics provided by Havering Council tell another story of urgent unplanned works and when combined with other disruption on the network, we have nuisance and chaos.

According to the statistics, in the last three years, Victoria Road has been dug up 114 times. I have included a breakdown of planned and urgent works for your readers.  But, Victoria Road is part of a wider local road network which includes South Street. And South Street has been dug up a staggering 457 times.

I have sought support from the Labour group for my call for an investigation into Romford’s infrastructure. This could be considered at Places Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Councillors can query the cost, communications, management, impact on residents, businesses, bus users, cyclists, commuters and make recommendations accordingly. Clearly something needs to be done. I am realistic. Infrastructure has to be repaired and renewed. Inevitably, that means some disruption. But surely utility companies can do better?

In the meantime, I am grateful to our Council Team for preparing this information and their management of what must be a very challenging situation.

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