PEOPLE in Wroughton are furious a new pedestrian crossing has been installed in an area prone to flooding so people can’t cross the road in heavy rain without the risk of a drenching.

The zebra crossing, near the Ellendune Community Centre, in Devizes Road, has been the subject of much public anger due to the flooding issues, since it was installed by Swindon Borough Council last spring.

The crossing is on a busy road and provides a link from the nearby residential areas to the shops and the Ellendune Centre.

Resident Colin Scull who, for months, has been urging the council to do something about the flooding problem, said: “It is unusable and unsafe to use when it rains.

“A lot of residents are appalled at this incompetence, as that’s what it is.

“This area was known to flood before work started.

“Why was it not picked up when the survey was done prior to work commencing that the area has a shallow and flat drainage network that would not be able to cope?”

There was already a makeshift crossing at the site before it was upgraded to a zebra crossing last year.

Although it did not formally qualify for a zebra crossing under the standard criteria, the decision was taken to put the site forward due to the requests from the ward members and parish council.

Although no topographical survey was carried out as part of the upgrade, the designers were aware of the historical flooding issue.

Julie Cowling, 62, who lives near the site and walks past it every day, said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous.

“There are elderly people who live around here and what can they do when they can’t use the crossing? This area has always been susceptible to flooding and I don’t know why that wasn’t taken into consideration before it was built.”

Jack Davies, 47, said: “It has to rain pretty hard for it to flood. The main issue is that when it does flood, cars move on to the other side of the road to try to avoid it, which could be quite dangerous.”

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: “This has always been a popular crossing area and the zebra crossing was installed, at the request of ward councillors and parish councillors, to make it safer for pedestrians because it’s a very busy road.

“After very heavy rainfall, the area is unfortunately prone to flooding due to a historic drainage issue affecting this whole section of road, which would be hugely costly to try to address.

“While we appreciate it creates an undesirable situation for both residents and motorists on occasions, the water soon drains away and the crossing is well-used and functional for the vast majority of time.”