With autumn upon us leaves from trees fall and some block drains.

Blocked drains cause water to flood the road and this leads to the surface weakening and breaking up leading to potholes. So why does Southampton City Council not unblock the drains and clear the leaves?

I have complained many times about the blocked drains particularly on the Itchen Bridge where there are no tree leaves but the drains are always blocked.

Why is this, when rainwater could simply run into the river below?

Blocked drains on the bridge results in a stream of water flowing along the cycle lane making cycling dangerous and very challenging and in times of cold temperatures will freeze causing a slip risk.

If the drains were unblocked/ cleaned out thoroughly then there would be fewer potholes to deal with.

A stitch in time saves nine!

Ed Lait, Locks Heath.