Couple left with few options for flooding home

A Papakura couple is desperate for action on a blocked street drain that has caused their home to flood three times in the past year.

In July last year, Neil and Nicky Baxter of Beach Road suffered two floods in three weeks, and the torrential rain last month saw it happen again.

The flooding is caused when a drain that is below road level outside the house becomes blocked by leaves.

According to the Baxters, as the trees on the street near their home have matured, the amount of foliage dropping into the drain has increased substantially.

“The trees causing the problems are the council-planted ones on the side of the road so you would think they would be responsible for them,” said Mrs Baxter.

This has led to water building up and eventually breaking the bank, running down the drive and into the Baxters’ house. As a consequence, the skirting around their doors had to be replaced as it had swollen to the extent that the doors could no longer be shut.

The council has sent out an independent contractor to look at the issue, but the Baxters said they have received no correspondence from them.

Mr Baxter has tried alternative businesses as well to try to resolve the problem.

“I’ve been in touch with a gentleman from Auckland Drainage, but he says it’s Auckland Transport’s responsibility. He has also told us that the council has no money available to fix the problem and there is no scheduled work to be done in the area.”

Mr Baxter, who is a civil engineer, said they have been in touch with the Papakura Local Board to address the issue, but have had little response and feel that they’re running out of options.

“Were looking seriously at re-doing our whole driveway to lift it 150-200mm to try and stop it happening. We’ll then take it to the Small Claims Tribunal and try to get our money back.”

“We’re really at the point where we have to make it the council’s problem,” said Mrs Baxter.

“We’re going away next month and we’re concerned about leaving the house. You can’t leave a house sitter with a problem like this. We’re going to have to sandbag the driveway to try and stop it,” said Mrs Baxter.

Looking ahead to next year the couple is even more concerned.

“I’m retiring next year and we’re hoping to move out of Auckland, but at this point we would have to declare that the place floods, which knocks at least $100,000 off the price,” said Mr Baxter.

A statement emailed to Te Waha Nui last Thursday by Bill McEntee, president of the Papakura Local Board, read: “We have raised this with Auckland Transport and our Transport Portfolio Lead Michael Turner and an Auckland Transport representative have gone out to inspect this straight away.”

No further update on the situation was provided by the time of publication.