Black Notley: Bulford Lane water depth gauge is 'dangerous'

Wayne Everitt, 43, is a senior building surveyor who has lived in Black Notley for ten years.

He is concerned about the Bulford Lane gauge which shows inaccurate readings.

Bulford Lane is prone to serious flooding. The gauge is supposed to measure the depth of the floodwater to warn motorists.

Wayne claims it has been installed 400mm too high, so the depth of the water show is not accurate.

Worried - Wayne Everitt next to the faulty water depth gage (Image: Wayne Everitt)

If the sign shows 18 inches of water, it is actually  much deeper.

Wayne regularly uses the road to take his children to and from school.

He said: “When the weather is bad it is guaranteed to flood. Sometimes it is passable but sometimes it isn’t.

“This year it has already flooded six or seven times. Two people have had to been rescued by the fire service.

“It is dangerous. For anyone who doesn’t know the area, it could cause irreparable damage to their vehicle, and they would not be insured as they willingly went through the flood.”

In early 2023, Wayne notified Essex Highways of the issue.

The council replied in April stating it had been investigated and risk assessed.

Flooded - Bulford Lane (Image: Wayne Everitt)

Essex Highways concluded it was not as serious as some other issues but they would monitor the situation.

Wayne has now sent the council another report.

He said: “It makes me feel I should go down there and level the signs myself, I am not getting anywhere with the council and their inability to do their jobs properly."

In use - The water depth gauge (Image: Wayne Everitt)

“It’s 100 per cent dangerous. I was down there and along came a little Toyota Yaris and the water was going over its windscreen. Luckily they carried on, but others have been more unfortunate.”

A spokesman for Essex Highways said: “Currently, our resources are focused on managing the large number of flooding incidents around the county, after which we will be able to complete our investigation of the depth gauge.

“In order to maximise our resources, we have to prioritise and fix the most urgent issues first.

"However, all defects reported to us are assessed by an inspector.

“Information about our repair criteria and maintenance strategy can be found at www.essexhighways.org/how-we-prioritise-highway-issues”