WHEN Alton resident Michael Gardner set out for a trip round the town after heavy rain on Tuesday it turned out to be more like a trip round the bay as he negotiated Tanhouse Lane. This pedestrian route into the town-centre was cut off after water had poured down Amery Hill, with no drains operating to take it away. Recalling that the lane was resurfaced only two years ago, local residents are exasperated that the work was finished in a hurry, leaving levels and drainage unresolved. "It wouldn't matter so much," complained one Tanhouse Lane resident, "but this is a major way into town for mothers and small children, school pupils and a number of frail elderly residents. "What's worse this is not flooding from the nearby River Wey, but surface water with nowhere to go because of sloppy road resurfacing, and bad maintenance of the drains – none of which is functioning. "If it gets into the foul drainage system," suggested the intrepid Mr Gardner, pictured, "things could get quite nasty along here!" Mr Gardner was heading towards Flood Meadows at the time, but when he saw yet more water waiting for him at the far end of Tanhouse Lane, he gave up and headed for his home port in Eastbrooke Road. Mr Gardner's experience is becoming quite common place. According to Amery Hill Residents' Association spokesman, Charles Kaye, the association has been in dialogue for some time with Hampshire County Council over the state of Tanhouse Lane. He explained that when the road was resurfaced it was not levelled off properly. The result is that the water does not drain away but, at the Flood Meadows end, stands in a large puddle that stretches across the width of the lane. In addition, some of the storm drains were taken out or replaced while others, like those at the junction with Amery Hill, get blocked up which causes yet more flooding. "This is one of the main routes of traffic from the Greenfields estate into the town. Hundreds of people use the lane every day and when it is raining they have to splash through the flood water. These are not just puddles, they are real obstacles, it is like having our own Beechers Brook in Alton," said Mr Kaye. County councillor Tony Ludlow confirmed that there are two separate problems with the drainage in Tanhouse Lane and HCC is working to try and rectify them. He said: "At the Amery Hill end there have been two or three incidents of flooding during heavy rain in the last month. "The engineers rodded the drains on January 11 but found no obstruction and on Tuesday the water did drain away, though not as fast as it should. "It may be that recent work by the utility companies has made matters worse. The engineers will try and find the cause." The second problem occurs at the opposite end of the lane where the road levels cause puddling. While some remedial work has been done Mr Ludlow confirmed that "it needs further work" and this, he assured, was scheduled for early in the next financial year. He added: "One storm drain was deliberately blocked in the resurfacing because it was a 'builders drain' running underneath the bungalow at the end of the lane."