National Highways has admitted the A421 “is likely to remain closed for a prolonged period that could amount to several days” after heavy rain left the parts of the road submerged in flood water over eight feet deep.
The road has been closed between the A6 and M1 J13 since Sunday (22 September). Three cars are reportedly under the water after their owners abandoned them. There are no reports of any injuries caused by the flooding.
It is estimated there are 60 million litres of water on the road. So far a fleet of 10 tankers working around the clock have managed to remove five million litres.
However, with a further Amber Met Office weather warning for heavy rain today (Thursday) until tomorrow, saying heavy rain is likely to cause flooding and transport disruption this evening and overnight, some of that work will be undone.
Criticisms
Criticisms of the way the A421 was built have been refreshed, with many commenting that the way the road was lowered under existing bridges has created flooding problems.
When the road was built pumps were installed at Lower Shelton to drain off water from the road but these have been useless this week after being overwhelmed by the amount of rain and are now under flood water too.
A spokesperson for National Highways has said this “has significantly contributed to the issue”.
Speaking last night, Martin Fellows, Regional Director for National Highways in the East of England, added: “Let me reassure people that we are taking every possible measure we can to alleviate this situation and get the roads open as soon as possible.
“By the end of today [Wednesday] we expect to have removed more than five million litres of water – that’s the same amount as you’d find in two Olympic swimming pools.
“The torrential weather experienced in this part of the country meant over a month’s rainfall fell in less than 48 hours. That overwhelmed the area and, for the first time we’ve experienced, flooded a nearby pumping station hampering our ability to deal [with] this.
“This is an absolute priority as we don’t want people’s journeys impacted by disruption and all our efforts are focused on resolving this and getting the road open as soon as it is safe to do so.
Bedfordshire Police have also commented that flooding in other areas of the Borough is having an impact on the efforts to remove floodwater from the A421.
In a post on their Facebook page, a spokesperson wrote, ‘A multi-agency plan to utilise specialist high volume pumps to clear the water quickly is being enacted.
‘However, following consultation with partner agencies, including the environment agency, we are unable to progress at this point in time due to water levels elsewhere.’
Mr Fellows from National Highways explained this further, “Given the ground conditions are so wet and we are having to transport the floodwater away from the immediate area, it’s important people realise the size of the task and this could take a number of days to resolve.
Both Bedfordshire Police and National Highways also asked people to stay away from the area.
“I understand that people are curious and want to visit the scene but I would kindly request that members of the public continue to support us by staying away from the area so our work to resolve this issue can continue to progress at pace,” added Mr Fellows.
Other roads affected
Other smaller roads in Bedford Borough also remain closed due to storms at the weekend.
Harrold, Oakley, Felmersham and Radwell bridges are closed until further notice due to flooding. Advisory ‘Road Closed’ flood signs have been set in place to warn motorists.
Water Lane and others in the Kempston Rural area have also flooded, which has emphasised local concerns that the granting of development plans in the area may increase flooding even more.
Bedford Borough Council says they are continuing to monitor the situation of flooded areas and will reopen closed bridges as soon as it is safe to do so. For the latest information and advice, please visit bedford.gov.uk/flood.
