Anger after rain fills blocked drain and floods West Bromwich street preventing funeral tradition
A blocked drain and heavy rain are to blame for a major flooding in a West Bromwich street where fed-up residents are accusing the council and water company bosses of failing to carry out repairs.
Residents in Millward Street, Greets Green, have put up with repeated surface water flowing into houses and gardens for six years.
But after one family was unable to observe a funeral tradition when the hearse could not down the road due to the water in November, and with another family struggling to leave the house to attend medical appointments, they say enough is enough.
Bereaved father Naran Patel, aged 85, explained: "The first time it flooded was six years ago and I have been I have been complaining ever since. I have to be paying £600 a year house insurance, £1,800 in council tax and more than £500 in water bills, but I'm not getting the service to show for it.
"If I stopped paying my bills they would be taking me to court. This is not fair for us to be treated like this.
"The council is blaming the water company and the water company is blaming the council for what's happening.
"We the residents just want someone to take responsibility and do something to fix it."
Mr Patel, a retired mechanic, added: "My son Dipak, aged 52, died in unexpectedly in hospital in November but we weren't able to bring him to the house he grew up in because the hearse couldn't get down the street. We had to take him to his house in Great Barr instead. This is an important Hindu tradition to take the body home.
"This was distressful to us as a family."
