'There are literal gardens growing out of our gullies'
Hundreds of blocked gullies in Oldham have been reported, with residents and councillors expressing concerns over drainage systems overgrown with weeds and grass, posing flooding risks. Councillors from Shaw, Royton, and Saddleworth criticize the council's "ward by ward" cleaning schedule as insufficient and reactive. Oldham Council has extended its cleaning timeline, having visited 10 of 20 wards in 11 months, cleaned 14,871 gullies, and allocated an extra £150,000 to complete the program over the next 12-18 months, prioritizing flood-risk areas.
“There are literal gardens growing out of our gullies”: Oldham’s blocked drains spark flooding fears
Hundreds of blocked gullies across Oldham have transformed drainage grids into miniature gardens, with weeds and grass sprouting through the grilles as the council struggles to complete its year-long cleaning programme.
Local councillors have documented the problem in Shaw, Royton and Saddleworth, where vegetation now thrives in drainage systems that should be clearing rainwater from the roads. Councillor Howard Sykes, who represents Shaw, warned that visibly blocked drains pose serious flooding risks to both highway users and pedestrians.
“You do not have to go far to find a visibly blocked drain,” Sykes said. “I have reported a number that are growing grass and totally blocked, most recently on Milnrow Road between Buckstones Road and the Jubilee area in Shaw, but the problem is widespread. It’s no good the council just waiting for residents and councillors to report the worst drains, even then action if often not taken.”
Royton councillor Lewis Quigg suggested the council would “need a strimmer to cut the curb edges of weeds” and wondered if “some of the gullies might be eligible for gardening awards” as the grid cleaning programme won’t reach Royton until the latter half of the year.
The scale of the problem became clear when councillor Sam Al-Hamdani spent days mapping blocked gullies across Springhead and Lees, identifying nearly 200 blocked drains. While cleaning is currently underway in Saddleworth, Oldham Council has only managed to visit 10 of the borough’s 20 wards in 11 months, forcing them to extend their promised 12-month cleaning regime.
Residents fear the blocked gullies will cause flooding this winter, with one Saddleworth resident reporting that grids on the A62 are “so blocked water flows down the road like a river.” Another suggested: “If they can’t clean the grids, perhaps they could mow the grass.”
Councillor Chris Goodwin, Cabinet Member for Transport and Highways, confirmed that 14,871 gullies have been cleaned so far, with 5,898 needing further work and 26,635 still to be completed. The council has invested an extra £150,000 to complete the boroughwide programme over the next 12 to 18 months, prioritising gullies that pose flooding or highway safety risks.
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