A WORRIED parent-governor at Woolmer Hill School is pleading with Surrey County Council's highways division to sort out flooding in Woolmer Hill Road. Lorraine Wilson told The Herald: "Every time it rains, the footpath is completely flooded. It is not just due to blocked drains, but also the gulleys which lead into much smaller pipes. "The pipes are not big enough to take the water, but eventually they do clear." According to Mrs Wilson, floods are worse when there is heavy rain. She added: "It has been going on for many years." To avoid the floods, pupils have to walk through sinking mud, with water coming over their shoes. "It spreads out like a pond," said Mrs Wilson. In a statement, Woolmer Hill School said staff had concerns about the regular flooding in the road outside the school and considered it to be a health and safety issue. According to the school, at the spot where the flooding occurs, the pavement edge becomes less visible and the regular drenching of schoolchildren by passing motorists is "unacceptable". Headteacher Susan Bullen told The Herald: "We are thoroughly fed up with this unacceptable situation and hope it will soon be resolved. Obviously, the entire road system will be looked at with the new tunnel on the A3, but this is an immediate situation which needs to be rectified." The school will be urging parents to take up the cause to exert pressure on the highways authority to take action. Mrs Wilson first brought the flooding problem to the council's attention in a letter in January last year. A spokesman for Surrey County Council said: "The flooding occurs outside the lower entrance to the secondary school at a natural 'low point' on Woolmer Hill Road. "The flooding was solved in the past by the construction of a drainage outlet onto adjoining land. The outfall of this drainage channel has now been obstructed by the construction of a haul route on the adjoining property, and SCC's attempts to jet-clear the blockage are to no avail. "We are trying to re-establish contact with the owner to obtain permission to enter his land and sort out the problem by altering the flow of the drainage outlet."
