A Devizes Town Councillor has called for a day of drain cleaning to prevent flooding in problem areas, but Wiltshire Council have not confirmed the plan.

Several streets in Devizes have been identified as frequently flooded areas and London Road residents recently brought the issue up when meeting councillors at the Town Council Roadshow.

Estcourt Crescent has also been labelled a problem area where the drains and gullies have not been cleared in many years due to parked cars.

The situation has been made worse by heavy rain this month which has led to flood warnings across much of Wiltshire.

Cllr Iain Wallis has recently toured the drains with a highways engineer and is now lobbying for a ‘Devizes day’ during which the town drains would be cleared in problem areas.

He said: “I have been working with the other Devizes Wiltshire Councillors and the local highways engineer to find a solution to the fairly frequent flooding of road gullies throughout the town.

“A few months ago I toured the drains of Devizes with the engineer and we compiled a list of where cleaning is needed, and where there may be a bigger issue, and these are now being worked through.

“The proposed solution by the Engineer for the majority of the drains was to send a tanker on a ‘Devizes day’ to clear as many gullies as possible, arranging traffic control where needed.

“I fully support this approach and will be lobbying the highways team to make sure it happens soon.”

However, while Wiltshire Council say they are working to tackle the frequent flooding in the town, they did not confirm if and when such a day would occur when questioned.

Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste, Street Scene and Flooding, said: “The council is aware of blocked drains in Devizes, and highways officers are working hard to address the issues.

“During the Autumn, fallen leaves can typically collect on roads, covering highway drains, which means even in moderately wet weather conditions flooding can occur.

“We have been having a particularly wet period, with heavy downpours at times, and as such officers are focusing on addressing flooding issues across the county.

“Additionally, a schedule of leaf clearance has recently commenced dealing with areas where leaf fall is likely to cause problems on the highway.”