Call for action on flooded underpass

Lib Dem councillors in Rural West York are calling for action to stop a well-used walking and cycling route becoming impassable.

Just outside Knapton there is an underpass which provides a safe route for residents in west York to get to Rufforth and the Community Woodland without having to cross the busy A1237. But after recent rainfall a large pool of stagnant water has formed in the underpass. Cyclists can just about get through as long as they don’t mind having wet feet, but pedestrians have to ‘walk the plank’ which is part of a rickety makeshift walkway. Wheelchair users and people with buggies risk being partially submerged if they try to use the route.

Cllrs Anne Hook and Emilie Knight have taken up the issue with the council’s drainage team, who have advised that the pump is broken and they are waiting to hear back from the contractors when they can check it and get it fixed. There is no estimated date for a repair to be made.

The underpass – which was previously used as a route for cattle to travel between fields on either side of the A1237 – opened to pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders in 2019.

Cllr Anne Hook commented “With more heavy rain in the forecast for the coming days, I am concerned that the underpass will become totally impassable, which would be a real blow. I appreciate that the council is waiting for a contractor to come back to them, but this highlights the need to be properly prepared for these mechanical breakdowns so they can be fixed promptly.”

Cllr Hook has also queried whether the broken pump is linked to other drainage-related issues in Knapton Village: “There was a collapsed drain near the bottom of Main Street, two sinkholes in Lowfield Lane, water running down Ten Thorn Lane, flooding around the top of Back Lane and Lowfield Lane and the road surface in Bland Lane disintegrates as soon as it is repaired. These issues suggest that there is a more deep-seated issue which I hope the council and Yorkshire Water can work together to resolve.”