Manchester City Council has announced that it is to invest an extra £1.1m to boost the cleaning of roadside gullies over the next two years.
Gullies, which drain water off roads, can become blocked by dirt, debris and litter and this can cause roads or pavements to flood.
Following a full review of the city’s network of more than 116,000 gullies earlier this year, a new programme of work for the next two years has been developed, with more vehicles to be brought in and resources allocated to improve the service and condition of the network.
The additional budget has been allocated from the city’s overall, five-year £100m roads revival project. The fresh funds mean that overall investment in gully cleaning will be boosted to £4m for the next two years.
Backed by extra funding, the council’s programme will see every gully in the city inspected and cleaned, with any follow-up repair activity to be carried out where required. Additional gully tankers will support the work.
The programme will also incorporate monitoring of silt level build-up over a number of months after cleansing, to provide more comprehensive and up-to-date intelligence, ensuring that more gullies are cleaned before they become blocked and cause flooding.
Executive Member for the Environment, Councillor Angeliki Stogia, said: “We know that high quality roads are one of the top priorities for Manchester residents, which is why we are seeking to improve every aspect of our highways maintenance service through our £100m investment over the next five years.”
