Grids full and blocked are neither use nor ornament

Grids are meant to take away rainwater and surface water. I guess this is to stop roads from being dangerous and to stop the decay of them, right?

Photo of blocked grids on Ivy Bank Road, Astley Bridge, Bolton.

For some reason I don't think these will do the job that they are supposed to. Across Astley Bridge this is a common occurrence. When it rains, much like it did the other night, rainwater flows down streets and lanes and could pose possible flooding to nearby properties; which can't be a good thing. Rainwater is supposed to go into the drains to be taken away by our sewer system.

Now I may be being a bit naïve here but isn't it a job of the council to keep drains clear and useful to ensure that the residents of Bolton, especially those in Astley Bridge, from having their property damaged from being flooded?

Later that Saturday afternoon I noticed that the drains on Hesketh Avenue and Ashworth Lane in Astley Bridge were blocked and water was sitting atop the grids and was litterally flowing down the lane like a stream.

I would like to see that big tanker with the suction tube on the back, going up and down our streets and clearing all the drains continually in Bolton. I did actually see one of these mythical vehicles a week last Saturday in another part of Bolton - so they do exist. This was quite ironic (or maybe not) as an hour or so after I saw it, the heavens opened and we had torrential rain.

I do talk about Astley Bridge in particular as it's where I live, however the "grid full of muck" issue happens all over Bolton. Something needs to be done... I mean, we all pay our Council Tax don't we?

I wonder if Bolton Council will read this and take on the challenge and get our grids and sewers across Bolton cleared and working as they should? I certainly hope so.

More photos:

Bar Lane