FIXING continuous flooding in a notorious Canvey road because of blocked up drains is a “priority”, the councillor responsible has said.

Prolonged heavy rain over the weekend caused issues for several areas of the island, but Western Esplanade at the junction of Furtherwick Road near the Labworth restaurant became almost impassible.

The flooding was caused by the surface water not being able to escape through the blocked drains.

Castle Point councillor Ray Howard, a member of Essex Flood Partnership Board representing Castle Point, said he had been made aware of the flooding over the weekend.

He said: “Councillors David Blackwell and Barry Campagna approached me about it understandably.

“I attended the last Essex Flood Board meeting and I reported to cabinet that it had happened. That is the next priority to be done.

“We tackled the problem outside the Monico.

“That used to get national television coverage it used to flood so bad.

“We solved that problem and we have solved other problems and now we are now getting there with Western Esplanade, which is the number one priority.”

He added that the flooding was caused by the drains being silted up.

It is unclear what is blocking the surface water drains in the area, which are the responsibility of Anglian Water and Essex Highways, but it is thought to be general dirt and grime which is causing the problems.

Mr Howard explained that this meant that the rain water has nowhere to go so just sits on the road.

He added that he was unsure how much the works to unlock the drains would cost as it was Anglian Water’s responsibility, but said it would depend on whether the drain could be unsilted or if it would need to be replaced entirely.

He said there were other areas on Canvey that would also be targeted as a priority for repairs.

Anglian Water and Essex Highways were approached for comment but did not respond before the paper went to print.

The drainage on the island is an important topic, with widespread flooding in 2014 caused by heavy rainfall meaning the surface water drains could not cope with the amount of water which fell in four hours.