Main routes in and out of a Leicestershire village are underwater following heavy rain. The situation is so bad that Ratby has been left “gridlocked” and one councillor fears problems will only get worse of hundreds more homes for the village are approved.
Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, Leicestershire County Council’s lead member for highways and elected member for Ratby, voiced his fears after telling LeicestershireLive he was woken up this morning (Monday, January 6) by multiple residents who could not “get out” of the village. Both Desford Lane and Station Road have been impacted by the torrential conditions, with Coun O’Shea urging people to not try to drive through the water.
The rising levels have left just Sacheverell Way as the only clear way out of the village. Coun O’Shea fears today’s problems could be just the tip of the iceberg for Ratby and believes a slew of new homes planned in the area will exacerbate flooding in the years to come.
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A planning application for up to 470 homes on fields that connect Ratby village to nearby beauty spot The Burroughs was submitted by Lagan Homes in October. Meanwhile, a scheme for 225 homes off Desford Lane, originally rejected by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, was approved on appeal at the start of 2024, with full plans unveiled last month.
Coun O’Shea said: “This is before the houses are built. It’s only going to get worse. Desford Lane is totally flooded, the doctor’s surgery is underwater, the fields are underwater. Station Road is totally under flood all the way to the Spot Island. The only way out of our village is Sacheverell Way, through Groby, and it’s gridlocked, absolutely gridlocked.”
He added: “With the amount of flooding that we’ve just taken again today, it just shows that the village can’t cope with the amount of concrete it’s got now. The fields are just flooding all over the place.
Fields flooded in Ratby
(Image: Ozzy O’Shea)
“It’s horrendous, but you start taking away those fields and putting another 225 houses on them, we’re going to be in a worse state. And if those 470 are granted by the Burroughs, that is just going to have a major impact. All that water will just come down, because we’re on a hill, it’ll just come all the way down and flood the centre of the village.”
Coun O’Shea has long voiced opposition to the increasing numbers of homes being proposed for the village, with flooding being one of a number of concerns raised by him and parish councillor Phil Tenwick when the 470-home plan was first mooted.
The two men said at the time that flooding had become a key issue in the area, claiming it had started in the wake of other developments. They called on developer Lagan to carry out an in-depth flooding survey to ensure the problem is not made worse if the additional homes go ahead. Lagan has not directly responded to those claims, but has previously said it “acknowledges and values” peoples’ concerns.
Coun O’Shea has also offered advice to drivers trying to negotiate county roads today. He said: “Please do not drive through floods because people then have got to come and rescue you and it puts lives at risk. You’re also not insured, your car will not be insured if you [knowingly] drive through a flood.”
Flooding in Ratby Medical Centre car park
(Image: Ozzy O’Shea)