Anger over Millbrook Road West in Southampton hit by another flood

Critics spoke out after Millbrook Road West was left looking like a river, with buses, cars and ambulances struggling to get through several inches of floodwater.

Yesterday's downpour resulted in one driver being rescued from his stranded vehicle and another part of the road being closed.

It was the latest in a series of weather-related incidents to hit the busy commuter route, which is often left submerged after heavy rain.

Last night Royston Smith, Tory MP for Southampton Itchen, said: "This has been going on for years.

"The city council has prioritised other highway issues over basic maintenance and as long as they think gridlock on main arterial routes is acceptable we will keep having this dreadful situation.

"Everyone knows this is going to happen when we have heavy rain, especially the council, but they continue to turn a blind eye.

"The council needs to prioritise areas which are prone to flooding as a matter of urgency.

"Every time this happens the economy takes a hit not to mention the frustration felt by commuters and shoppers trying to go about their daily business.

"Standing traffic is also awful for air quality and we know that Millbrook already has some of the poorest air quality in the city.”

Some of the worst flooding occurred beneath a footbridge beside Millbrook railway station.

An ambulance and other vehicles managed to get through by moving into the outside lane, where the water was relatively shallow.

Drivers heading into the city suffered the biggest delays but motorists travelling in the opposite direction were also caught up in the chaos.

Two lanes of the westbound carriageway were closed as a result of the atrocious conditions. A westbound sliproad linking Payne's Road with Millbrook Road West was also shut.

People took to social media to voice their anger and display at the latest flooding.

One woman said: "It always floods there. You'd think they would do something about it after so many years."

Another social media user wrote: "It's amazing that this area of Millbrook is the same it's always been. It was like this in the 70s."

Delays on Millbrook Road West resulted in long tailbacks building up on the southbound carriageway of the M271 as drivers struggled to enter the city.

Some motorists tried to avoid the gridlock by coming off at junction one, only to encounter congestion on Brownhill Way.

The city council's contractors, Balfour Beatty, sent six crews to deal with weather-related issues - including drains blocked by autumn leaves.

One of the crews was called to Millbrook Road East, where pedestrians could get through only by walking along the centre of the road.

Flooding also occurred outside the entrance to Holy Trinity Church, Millbrook.

One of the people who posted a comment on the Daily Echo website said: "How many more times is this section of road going to flood? It was supposedly upgraded a few years ago and this morning it was under water."

Other people criticised the council for failing to clear out the drains.

One social media user said: "The drains are never maintained by the city council. They are full of sludge and have weeds growing out of them."

But others said the authority no longer had the staff or funds to clear the drains.