Heavy rainfall sparks worry for Wigan pensioners

Greenfields, a complex of apartment and bungalows in Gidlow Lane, Beech Hill, has been prone to flooded walkways and waterlogged gardens following recent weeks of heavy rainfall.

David Honor, who has lived at Greenfields for eight years, says the issue is presenting a safety hazard for the older residents who live at the site.

“We keep getting flooded, it’s near the back doors of all the old people here” said Mr Honour, 75.

“At the front, it’s all across the pavement. There’s no drainage or anything. We live high up, the water should be running away but it’s happening more and more.

“Even when the rain isn’t that bad, it just keeps flooding. All of the balconies are wet through and dripping down.”

He added: “I’ve reported these things to the council for the past three or four years. The council know about it but they don’t seem to be doing anything to help us.

“There are a lot of old people living in this building. When they do come out, they’re having to walk through water.

“The pavements are always wet through, which they shouldn’t be - under a canopy.

“It’s pretty bad, because where people in normal houses have grids out front, we don’t seem to have any drainage whatsoever, and so when it rains the water has nowhere to go. It just keeps building up and building up.

“Its just causing dampness to the building, and I don’t think it’s really healthy.”

He went on: “All this water isn’t going anywhere, it could go stagnant. I don’t know whether it’s coming out of drains or the sewage.

“All the residents here have been going mad about it, they are fed up with it. The building needs umpteen things doing because the ground at the moment is just saturated.

“Where we live, it shouldn’t even be flooding. We don’t even live near a river - If we were, I could understand it at least. I just don’t know where it’s coming from.”

Coun Phyllis Cullen has been in touch with Greenfields residents over the situation and was endeavouring to resolve the situation, Mr Honor said.

A spokesperson for Wigan Council said that an inspector is scheduled to attend the site and assess the area, as with all reports it receives regarding flooding. They added that the town hall had only received one flood-related report regarding the accommodation in the last year.