Popular Harborough footpath is flooded again - and residents want housing developers to sort it out once and for all

A footpath on a new Market Harborough estate is flooding again after repeated problems during heavy rain last winter.

The A58 trail on the fast-growing Farndon Fields development to the south of the town is a key local right of way for hundreds of residents and schoolchildren.

But it has been wallowing under water again, making it “unwalkable” for fed-up families.

Peter Pollak, 75, is now calling for urgent action to tackle the serious issue before bad weather sets in over the next few weeks and months.

“I am well and truly sick of battling to get the developers and housebuilders here to act.

“We had huge problems with this footpath being flooded throughout last winter,” said Peter, of Limner Street, Farndon Fields.

“Now it’s happening all over again – and we aren’t even out of September.

“This is a critical right of way for people to the north-east of Angell Drive, near the Anglian Water Sewage Pumping Station.

“But it’s muddy at the moment and it quickly becomes totally unwalkable.

“We obviously want whoever’s responsible to carry out essential drainage work to resolve this situation once and for all.

“But it’s proving almost impossible to pinpoint who owns the land.

“We are talking about a stretch of the path that’s 150-200 metres which is being worst affected.

“It’s very popular, it’s well used and it needs sorting out.

“I often see mums tramping along the A58 path to various local schools as well as the pupils too,” said Peter, a veteran rambler and eco-campaigner.

“We also have an important shortcut leading from nearby Rugby Close to Welland Park Road but that’s potholed, in a poor state and too often flooded too and entirely impassable.

“What’s the point of having a shortcut making it much easier for local people if you cannot use it?”

Cllr Paul Bremner, who represents the area on Leicestershire County Council, has consistently supported Peter and other residents in their fight for action.

“This just isn’t good enough.

“Residents have been rightly contacting me and other local officials about the A58 public footpath for months and months.

“We must all do what we can to stop this flooding once and for all,” Paul told the Harborough Mail.

A Leicestershire County Council spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the flooding issues at Farndon Fields.

“We are continuing to discuss these closely with developers, Redrow Homes, and landowners, CJC Development Company, and have had a commitment from CJC that the drainage issues will be resolved by the end of the month.”