Work starts to fix flooding at Hull Road bus stop in York

The blockage in pipework beneath the Windmill Lane bus stop was found following works to raise a gulley amid concerns for the safety of cyclists.

Liberal Democrat activist Andrew Mortimer said a lake of water had formed following rain at the weekend, leading to fears that buses pulling in could drench waiting passengers.

York Council Head of Highways Asset Management Steve Wragg said his team were currently working to resolve the problem and apologised for any inconvenience caused.

It comes after works to raise the height of the gulley, which lies in the middle of the bus lay-by, earlier this month.

The works followed concerns for the safety of cyclists and other road users who previously had to pull out into a busy stretch of Hull Road to get around it.

Council workers have raised the height of the gulley and patched the road surface.

But the Liberal Democrats said a heavy overnight downpour on Sunday, September 22 had left the lay-by flooded, putting those at the bus stop at risk of getting splashed.

Liberal Democrat activist Andrew Mortimer, based in Hull Road ward, York. Picture is from York Liberal Democrats

Activist Mr Mortimer said that while they welcomed works to raise the gulley, things seemed to have gone badly wrong.

The Liberal Democrat said: “The area was under water on Monday morning, with a lake forming that completely filled the bus pull-in and spread on to the main part of Hull Road.

“With more heavy rain forecast it is important that the problem is sorted quickly.”

Council highways asset lead Mr Wragg said: “Works were recently undertaken to address defects in the highway level at this location which were causing problems for cyclists and other road users.

“While the gulley cover level and the immediate connecting pipework were altered as part of this work, a pre-existing blockage has since been identified with the wider connecting pipework and our team is currently working to resolve this problem.”