Request ID: FOI-1457-2122 Date published: 03 November 2021
You asked
As your office know there was a massive flood and water ingress took place on subject road where along with other parade shops, our business was also badly effected too. After initial complaint by the local businesses, your office has created case reference no. xxxxxxx for the subject incident.
It's been two days but your office didn't bother to send your representative to visit our parade businesses despite knowing amount of loss and inconveniences suffered by our parade businesses, this shows how considerate TFL is? How badly TFL handle such a massive incident? It's a real shame that Westminster, TV, media, local councilor all visited our parade but no one turn up from TFL yet despite knowing they are the responsible party behind this mess.
Under the Freedom of information ACT, I would like your office to provide me following information in 7 days.
1. Is TFL responsible for maintaining main road (Red line road) gutters?
2. As per the regular procedure how often TFL carry out gutter maintenance on subject road?
3. When last maintenance of the gutter (on our side of the road) work was carried out by the TFL?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-1457-2122
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 7th October 2021 asking for information about the maintenance of road gutters.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked the following, with reference to Knightsbridge:
“1. Is TFL responsible for maintaining main road (Red line road) gutters?
2. As per the regular procedure how often TFL carry out gutter maintenance on subject road?
3. When last maintenance of the gutter (on our side of the road) work was carried out by the TFL?”
I can confirm that TfL is responsible for highways drainage on the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN - sometimes known as the ‘red routes’. More information on the red routes, including maps, can be found on our website here: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/red-routes).
Under the new ‘Works for London’ contract, gullies will be cleaned once every two years. However, since the increase in flooding we have added Knightsbridge to our “hotspot” list for a visit every six months.
The gullies at this location were last cyclical cleaned and service inspected on 20 July 2020. There were no issues reported at that time. TfL visited the site on 7 October 2021 to clean any blockages and undertake a CCTV survey of the drainage system. A number of issues were identified as attached. There has been significant construction in the local area and we continue to look into these activities as they may of contributed to the blocking of the local drainage. We are currently working with our contractors and Thames Water to look at further remedial work.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
