Why “Not Blocked” Drains Still Leave You Flooded.

Let’s get straight to it.

The recent floods on the Isle of Wight weren’t caused by blocked drains.

That’s what Island Roads said. The gullies were clear.

And yet, whole streets went under. Cars stranded. Shops evacuated. Emergency services stretched thin.

So here’s the uncomfortable truth:

“Not blocked” does NOT mean safe.

When 50mm of rain drops out of the sky in an hour, even a perfectly “clear” system can’t cope. The water has to go somewhere… and usually, it ends up where it shouldn’t.

The Big Blind Spot in flood management.

Most councils still manage drainage like they did in the 1980's. Routine schedules. Every three months, every six months, whatever the policy says.

It’s predictable. It’s neat. It makes for tidy reports. But it’s a box-ticking exercise that doesn’t reflect reality.

Because storms don’t read calendars.

And that’s why communities get caught out - time and again.

Isle of Wight streets left submerged.

A Smarter Way of Thinking.

There’s a different approach. It’s called risk-based management.

Instead of blindly cleaning everything on schedule, you focus on where the actual risk is:

• Hotspots that flood first when it rains

• Gullies that silt up faster than others

• Areas where extreme weather hits hardest

Layer in real-time data, like sensors that sit quietly in gullies, watching flow and debris build-up... and suddenly, you’re not guessing anymore. You know.

And that changes everything.

Why This Matters.

This isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about resilience, safety, and public trust.

Flooding doesn’t just damage property. It damages confidence in local authorities. Every headline about “streets underwater” chips away at credibility.

But when you can point to a smarter, proactive strategy. When you can show you’re adapting to today’s climate realities, you move from being reactive to being prepared.

Severe flooding engulfs the High Street on the Isle of Wight in July 2025, leaving shops and streets submerged under water.

The Bottom Line.

The Isle of Wight floods are a wake-up call. “Not blocked” isn’t good enough anymore.

If councils keep playing the same maintenance game, they’ll keep getting the same result: overwhelmed systems, flooded roads, angry communities.

The question is simple: Are you willing to rethink how you manage your network.. or will the next storm make the decision for you?