RESIDENTS living in one Grays road say they are “at the end of their tether” because every time it rains their road turns into a “swimming pool”.

People living in the middle of tree-lined Bradleigh Avenue say they have had enough of the drains not working properly and they want a permanent resolution found for the problem.

The Gazette saw many schoolgirls from Grays Convent in College Avenue trying the cross the road with difficulty and screaming when cars went through the water too fast soaking passers-bys on the pavement.

Delivery driver, John Brokenshow, 50, has lived in the road for 14 years and he said: “It is like this every time it rains and it has not even been that heavy today, we are so fed up of it, the road becomes a swimming pool every time it rains.

“In the time I have lived here I have only seen people clean the drains about four times in the last 14 years, I have had my garage flooded and electrical equipment damaged because of it.

“With the trees on this road the drains need to cleaned regularly to stop this happening, it is ridiculous.”

Mr Brokenshow added: “The drains need to be replaced because they are very old and cannot deal with the amount water and leaves in the roads. It needs some proper work done, we just feel like the council and Anglian Water are passing the buck.”

Mother-of-one Ruth Aston, 48, who lives next-door to Mr Brokenshow explained she and her husband had been in constant contact with Thurrock Council trying to get the situation resolved.

Mrs Aston added: “I am really nervous that a bad accident is going to happen one day, a car could swerve and hit a child with a primary and secondary school so close in proximity. The coaches and buses do not slow down at all.

“I nearly called the fire brigade because I am just at the end of my tether. I have lived here four years and I moved here so my daughter could be close to her school.

“If I knew this happened each time it rained I would not have bought a house here.”

Thurrock Council and Anglian Water were at loggerheads over whose responsiblity it was to clean up the flooding. Anglian Water told the Gazette it was not the water company’s responsibilty and the flooding was caused because of excess grit in the road gulleys from the snowy weather in December.

A spokesman for Thurrock Council added: “Thurrock Council and Anglian Water have been working on the Bradleigh Avenue/Ward Avenue surface water issue for some time.

“Investigations concluded in mid December revealed there are problems with some gully connections and the council has a programme of work planned to start later this month which is intended to resolve these issues.

“However, there are also problems with the main surface water sewers which are the responsibility of Anglian Water.

“It would appear there is some tree root intrusion and Anglian will have to respond regarding their repair timescale.

“Bradleigh Avenue was attended by our drainage crew on Friday who cleared a blockage found in the Anglian Water surface water main and the residual water has now dispersed. The adjacent gullies were then cleaned and left functioning.”