The heavy rainfall over recent days has brought yet more flooding and delays to the A47 between Honingham and Easton. We absolutely must see an end to these repeated disruptions.

While National Highways have already taken urgent action to improve drainage following my extensive representations to their Regional Director for the East, along with his team, it’s clear more still needs to be done by National Highways to properly grip these issues and prevent them happening again.

That’s why, on Wednesday, I am meeting with National Highways in Parliament to raise the matter again. We must see an end to these problems.

I will also use the opportunity to raise accident blackspots like the A47 Draytonhall Lane Junction once more and call for more safety improvements – in addition to reemphasising the importance of fully dualling the A47 all the way from Lowestoft in the East to the A1 in Cambridgeshire to the West.

I am determined to speak up for Mid Norfolk on these crucial issues.

To find out more on my work to hold stakeholders to account and address the A47 flooding, please see below.

To learn more about my work on ‘Making Our Roads Fit For the 21st Century’, please click here.

UPDATE - 6 January 2024

The repeated floodings and delays on the A47 have to stop.

It’s the key arterial route on which all of us depend.  These constant floods and delays hit local businesses, villages and all of us who rely on this key road.

Following my extensive discussions with National Highways previously, they have taken urgent action to improve drainage (see my past updates below). But it is clearly not enough.

That is why I am picking this up with them again today as a matter of urgency to make sure they sort out proper flood prevention.

We must also get on with the dualling works as quickly as possible. People have waited over a decade since I got the then Prime Minister to commit to fund the dualling (see here).  We now need to get it done with proper drainage infrastructure as part of the county-wide flood prevention works that NCC are leading through their Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance – itself based on the recommendations of the Mid Norfolk Flood Partnership I established here in our area (see here).

Rest assured, I will keep on this.

To see the recent EDP article on this latest flooding, please click here.

UPDATE - 24 November 2023

Further to my previous update last week (see here – and below), I have now received an additional briefing from National Highways with regards to the flooding issues on the A47 at Honingham – which have affected many of my Mid Norfolk constituents.

While heavy, unprecedented rainfall has taken place over recent weeks, the Regional Director for National Highways and his team have again assured me that preventing the repeated flooding issues remains a high priority.

Having replaced a damaged surface water drainage pipe following Storms Babet and Ciaran, additional works were then undertaken to clear some nearby trees and a portion of garden wall that were found to be impeding water flow, and causing root damage to the previous pipe. With additional rainfall forecast last weekend, they also had crews standing by to pump any excess water away should there be a build up.

As we saw, unfortunately, those crews were required and National Highways have therefore been taking further action – working with nearby landowners to ensure their land is sufficiently worked (ploughed) post-harvest to minimise surface water-run off and reduce the chance of silt build up in the drainage pipes. Silt walls have also been installed to further mitigate silt build up in drainage pipes – with those pipes also being regularly monitored and cleared by NH crews.

Nevertheless, NH continue to follow the weather forecast and have crews monitoring the location closely. They are equipped with pumps should additional flooding occur. NH are prepared to undertake further works if required.

Rest assured, I will keep on this issue – and am due to speak with the NH Regional Director again on Monday. (To stay up to date with all my work on this issue, and my wider flooding campaign, please visit my campaign page here)

This issue highlights again the importance of dualling this section of the A47 – which improve the flow of traffic during heavy rainfall and enable a much larger and more effective drainage system to be introduced at this location (and others). To see my recent EDP article on why this A47 dualling is so vital, please click here and visit my campaign page here 

UPDATE - 21 November 2023

Having raised the recent, repeated flooding issues on the A47 with National Highways and made clear that they need to urgently grip and address them (see my previous webstories here and here), I share the frustration of many of my constituents after further flooding occurred between Honingham and Easton again last week.

That’s why I am raising the matter with the Regional Director for National Highways again.

Commuters and local communities should not have to face this constant disruption. The A47 is a key transport artery and it’s vital that it isn’t closed due to flooding – or subject to severe delays.

It’s clear that recent works to repair a damaged pipe that should have taken surface water to the nearby River Tud were insufficient. NH must move quickly to implement further solutions.

Rest assured, I will keep on this – and hope to provide a further update soon.

To find out more about my wider flooding campaign work, please visit my website here.

To see more on my work ‘Making Our Roads Fit for the 21st Century’, please visit my website here.

UPDATE - 8 November 2023

The A47 is a key transport artery through our county – which is why I shared widespread local frustration at the fact that it was closed multiple times recently due to flooding at Honingham.

Having picked this matter up with National Highways and made clear that they needed to grip the issue and resolve it, I have now received an update confirming that, while most of the flooding could be attributed to sustained heavy rainfall on already saturated ground, subsequent investigations found that a pipe that should have taken surface water to the nearby River Tud was damaged.

National Highways have confirmed that work is underway to replace the damaged section of pipe – which should reduce the chance of such flooding occurring on this section of the A47 again. However, they have also made clear that they remain committed to resolving any other identified issues that may be found.

Rest assured, I will continue to follow progress closely – as part of my ongoing flooding campaign in Mid Norfolk (see here)

UPDATE - 30 October 2023

The A47 is a key transport artery through our county and I share frustration that it has been closed multiple times over recent days due to flooding.

National Highways need to grip the issue. Commuters and local communities should not have to face this constant disruption.

Rest assured, I am following up with National Highways as part of my ongoing flooding campaign work on behalf of Mid Norfolk. 

To stay up to date with my flooding campaign, please visit my campaign page here

To see yesterday’s EDP article, please click here