'Severely blocked drain' at centre of Northampton A45 flooding woes still hasn't been cleared after over a month

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.

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

After another episode November 14, Highways England found the cause of the flooding was a badly blocked drain next to the A45 on land they do not own.

But now, over a month later, the blockage has not been cleared, which led to Friday's six-hour closure.

Highways England say the "significant, solid blockage" is more severe than anticipated, and they are working with Northamptonshire County Council to tackle the problem.

Northamptonshire County Council has been contacted for a comment.

A Highways England spokesperson said: “We were forced to close the westbound carriageway of the A45 on Friday (December 13) because of flooding caused by a drainage issue on land next to the road after heavy rainfall.

“Following previous flooding at the location recently, Highways England investigated the issue and a significant blockage was found which will take several days to remove.

“We are working with Northamptonshire County Council to get the blockage removed as quickly as possible. We are grateful to drivers for their patience while we resolve this issue.”