Reports of blocked highway drains

I would like to submit a Freedom of Information request to access the following information please:

1. How many reports of blocked highway drains did you receive in 2023 and in 2024, as well as 2025 year to date 

2. How many blocked highway drains were reported more than once in 2023 and in 2024, as well as 2025 year to date 

3. How many blocked highway drains did you clear in 2023 and in 2024, as well as 2025 year to date  

4. How many individual homes flooded due to blocked highway drains in 2023 and in 2024, as well as 2025 year to date or How many individual homes in your area were affected by urban flash flooding in 2023 and in 2024, as well as 2025 year to date 

5. How many acres [or square metres] of land was passed for new housing, commercial, industrial developments or car parks in 2023 and in 2024, as well as 2025 year to date  

6. How many residential properties were protected by new flood defences (including all flood mitigation measures) in 2023 and 2024, as well as 2025 year to date . Please split between existing properties and new build developments.  

If possible, please break data down by the smallest areas possible - i.e. by borough, or street.
Time period for data relating to the request: 2023 and 2024, as well as 2025 year to date

1. Totals are as follows Calendar Year "Blocked Drainage item" Fault reports received

2023     3010

2024     2810

2025 to 01/10/25   2008

2. It is not possible to completely answer this question. The fault reports are not directly linked to a specific drainage asset, so multiple reports on a single street may be referring to the same or different incidents or drains. However, see attached table. This shows the number of fault reports received grouped to street and year.

3. Calendar Year Drainage jobs completed

2023                       1085

2024                        1010

2025 to 01/10/25      794

See attached table This shows the number of jobs completed grouped to street and year

Please note : - not all jobs may result in the blockage being cleared. - the jobs are not directly linked to a specific drainage asset, so multiple jobs completed on a single street may actually be to unblock different drains (not necessarily the same blockage occurring again). - each individual job may include either none, one or multiple gullies/drains being unblocked. - this data does not include the annual drainage cleanse visits, just off-programme works for a specific area relating to drainage.

4. The mechanisms and causes of flooding often come from a combination of multiple sources, meaning it is not always possible to categorically state if flooding occurred from a particular source. Therefore, a range of recommendations may be suggested to ensure multiple receptors are considered in future mitigation, denoting that deciphering a specific value to confirm whether the predominant mechanism was due to highway drainage or flash flooding is not always possible. Notwithstanding this, the information from S19 investigations into internal flooding is publicly available via the Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) website at Flood Investigations - Lincolnshire County Council

5. Lincolnshire County Council does not hold this information, please contact the district councils

foi@boston.gov.uk

customerservices@e-lindsey.gov.uk

foi@n-kesteven.gov.uk

info@sholland.gov.uk

foi@southkesteven.gov.uk

customer.services@west-lindsey.gov.uk

legal@lincoln.gov.uk

6. Within the requested timescale, please see the below for each year of completed schemes over this period, whereby flood defences were may have been involved.

It is worth noting that there are ongoing schemes which may influence the number by closure of the year: LCC Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Schemes: 2023 – 1 property installation complete, 2024 – 29 installations complete, 2025 – 104 installations complete. Properties protected under main LCC capital investment schemes: 2023 - Long Bennington surface water scheme - 53 properties, 2025 - Kirkby on Bain – 33 properties. With regards to property type, no definition of timeframe has been given as to ‘new build’, although all schemes were undertaken for protection of existing properties / developments.

Should you require the attachment mentioned above please contact customerinformationservice@lincolnshire.gov.uk with the below reference number and this can be provided.