A CLOGGED Evesham brook poses a flooding risk to nearby houses, according to locals.

Jim Elliott is calling on the council to clear Charity Brook of dumped trolleys and overgrown vegetation.

Mr Elliott, who lives in St Philips Drive, said: “The brook is overgrown and there is vegetation and trolleys in it.

"Anything going down the brook, including rubbish, will back up on the trolleys and form a dam, stopping the free flow of water.

"The houses surrounding the brook were flooded before, in 2007 and if we had similar weather it would happen again, but worse this time."

Mr Elliott, 72, said the council needed to monitor things as four feet of the six feet deep brook was filled with vegetation.

"Over normal conditions it’s fine but torrential rain could create a terrible situation," he said.

Mr Elliott thinks the trolleys came from Morrisons supermarket and proposed charges or locks to prevent them from being dumped.

The brook runs through Charity Brook Park, which is opposite Four Pools Industrial Estate.

Sharon Casswell, client services manager at Wychavon District Council, said: "Our contractor Continental and Wychavon officers regularly inspect the drainage ditch and wider park area.

"The latest inspection was completed on Friday, 22 July and two trolleys were found in the ditch and are in the process of being removed, which requires the services of a specialist contractor.

"While there is vegetation growing sideways across the ditch, we have no reason to believe it is interfering with the flow of water through the ditch or poses any flood risk.”

Ms Casswell said the drainage ditch is scraped once a year to ensure it is running freely.