I've said it before . . .

. . . and I'll say it again:

Why, oh why, don't the council and/or the water companies invest in a *sucky-up* machine & clear all the blocked drains ? Surely if they were cleared of mud, weeds & other debris, the rain would get to where it should & we wouldn't have hosepipe bans & drought orders. This past couple of months, when we've had so much rain, some of the roads have looked like rivers because the rain has gushed over the blocked drains & not gone down them as it should. 

As much as the farmers & gardeners need the rain, they also need sun & warmth. The few good & extremely hot days we've had, haven't really done much for my veggies - they're either parched or drowned. If I get anything decent out of my veg patch this year, it'll be a miracle :o(

This pic was taken just last Saturday at the end of my road & is a prime example of the blocked drains.

Now, I'm not saying ALL the drains in the town are blocked like this, but I've seen a fair few this year - & in past years - that are. One day last summer, when we were out for a walk, me on Shanks's, 'imself in his chariot, we came across a blocked drain that had a tree growing out of it !! It was well past my shoulders in height, so must have been there for quite some time.

(Memo to self:   Self - try to remember where it was & check to see if it's still there.)

 I'm also not saying that investing in a *sucky up* machine is the be all & end all to the problem, but wouldn't it at least help ?

Bring back the old corporation dust cart, I say !!! :o) The ones like my great grandad used to work on at night, cleaning the streets of the day's grime, so that they could do it all over again the following night !! :o)

Other towns & cities manage to have nice, clean streets to walk along, so why can't we ? Maybe we just have a bigger proportion of litter louts than other places. Who knows ?

I do have my own ideas as to how the streets could be kept clean, but I'm sure if I voice them, I'll be given a lecture on civil liberties & then thrown in a dungeon somewhere :o)  No doubt the dungeon will have a grille open to the road which will then fill with mud & have weeds growing out of it, but, looking on the bright side,  if the rain can't get through, at least I won't drown !! :o))