'Large amount of concrete' was blocking drain at centre of Northampton's A45 flooding woes

The spot between the slip roads for Grange Park on the A45 have flooded again and again in recent weeks, causing hours of delays at a time.

Last month, Highways England reported they traced the problem to a 'significant solid blockage' in a drain on patch of land running alongside the A45 but were unable to clear it immediately.

Now, Highways England say they have cleared the problem drain, which was being blocked by "a significant amount of concrete and debris."

The drain is not owned by Highways England, who found in their first investigation that it would take several days to shift the rubble if they tried to tackle it.

A Highways England spokesperson said: “The safety of road users is our number one priority so we have carried out extensive work on a blocked drainage system on land next to the A45, which we do not own, which was causing flooding on the carriageway.

“A significant amount of concrete and debris was discovered in the system which has required substantial work to remove. We worked with Northamptonshire County Council to get the work carried out as quickly as possible and it was completed ahead of last week’s heavy rainfall. No further flooding occurred at the site.

“We are grateful to drivers for their patience while we resolved the issue.”

Whenever the area flooded due to heavy rain, Highways England and the county council were forced close the road - leading to incidents like on (December 13), when the A45 Westbound was shut for six hours.