Biggin Street soap opera
JUST who put the soap suds into the Biggin Street flood water - joker or protester - remains a mystery.
But one thing’s for sure businesses are unhappy that the actual flooding problem was left unresolved for days.
Townsfolk and visitors alike have been running the gauntlet of flood waters in Biggin Street, Loughborough for more than a week.
And the problem was highlighted even further after the waters transformed into soapy foam, the cause of which has yet to be discovered.
There are rumours that washing up liquid has been added as a joke or as a protest to highlight the problem.
One trader told the Echo that business down the street had been hit by the flood waters and shoppers had been splashed with cars ploughing through.
The road was eventually closed off to cars.
The trader told the Echo that businesses had been hit by similar flooding four years ago after a downpour: “It looks a mess. It shouldn’t be like that in the town centre.”
The trader added that the soap suds had made the water looked nice at first, but children had been attracted to it and there was concern because nobody knew what had actually been put in the water.
The county council and Severn Trent have a joint responsibility for drainage in the Biggin Street area and as the Echo went to press work had been carried out to clear a gully.
Loughborough’s Business Improvement District (BID) has been in contact Leicestershire County Council and Severn Trent with concerns over the issue.
Lez Cope-Newman chair of the BID told the Echo: “We are keeping the pressure on because it is causing problems to businesses.”
The BID manager Lisa Brown also said: “We have been trying to work with the county council to address the problem.”
A spokesperson for Charnwood Borough Council told the Echo: “We are aware of the issues with the Biggin Street floods and have informed Leicestershire County Council as highways authority about the problem.
“We are looking forward to it being resolved as soon as possible.”
A Leicestershire County Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the blockage in Biggin Street, Loughborough, and it’s our understanding that Severn Trent have been out to clear a gully to resolve the problem.
“We’ll be going out next week to carry out further checks to ensure the drainage system is functioning adequately.
“Apologies for any inconvenience caused.”