HASLEMERE town councillors have heard that a joint scheme between Surrey County Council, the town council and the Haslemere Chamber of Trade to keep gullies and drains clear of a "blanket of leaves" could be the key to stopping town centre shops from being damagedout by flash floods.

SCC principal engineer Graham Hodgson addressed town councillors at their planning and highway meeting last week.

He said he had been "disturbed" by criticism of the £140,000 major road and drainage works in the town towards the end of the year which he believed was a very good job which had gone well.

But he said flash floods in October, which left shopkeepers in the High Street and West Street mopping up for the second time within three months, had hit the town before the works had been completed.

"It was a halfway house with the High Street half resurfaced and half not, and a lot of rain over a short time, all falling when the gullies were too high because the work was not finished," explained Mr Hodgson.

He said the flooding problems were made worse by gullies at the southern end which became ineffective because of debris washed down by the water.

He assured town councillors that following improvements to the drainage system on pavements between the town centre car park and West Street, he was now feeling "very positive" about flood measures.

He believed that employing a local contractor who could be brought in at short notice to pre-empt the work of SCC in times of potential flooding to clear the build-up of leaves could help solve flooding problems in the town centre.

He explained the network of storm water drainage and culverts and town councillors were told that other work to divert water away from other problem areas such as Fosters bridge ,which frequently flooded, was "a question of economics".

Graham Sapsed, also from SCC, told the meeting that the council had done "as much as it can possibly do at this moment in time".

But mayor Michael Barnes, who welcomed the idea of engaging a local contractor, felt that further discussions on flooding problems at Fosters bridge should take place.

"Floods are going to occur more often and that should be taken on board seriously." he said.

"I am not happy with drainage from West Street to Fosters bridge - it is a serious detriment to Haslemere together with the chaos it creates."

Robin Elkes from Waverley Borough Council said that rainfall that caused widespread flooding in July last year in Haslemere and Wey Hill was "exceptional".

"We had two inches of rain in less than an hour and no system would have been able to cope."

It was the worst flooding in the town for 30 years he said.

Speaking after the meeting, Haslemere's county councillor Christine Stevens ,who attended the meeting as an observer said: "I am delighted the town council is prepared to consider working in partnership with SCC to develop a small contract to clear leaves and debris near drains.

"Added to SCC works and maintenance, this may reduce the impact of flooding when freak storms occur," she said.