A COUNCILLOR has slammed road sweepers who leave dirt from their vans in a road, causing drains to become blocked.

Coun Paul Browne said he had watched Blackburn with Darwen Council workmen using a tap in Frederick Street to clean their trucks out after emptying dirt swept up from the streets in Darwen.

But he said once they had hosed out the inside of their trucks, they left the mud and dirt in the road and near to the drain at the corner of Nelson Street.

He said the dirt had gone into the drain and caused blockages all along Frederick Street and Robin Bank Road.

When the Lancashire Telegraph visited the area yesterday, a number of drains on that side of the road were caked in mud and blocked up.

Coun Browne said: “I am disappointed at the way the council workmen leave the muck and dirt and rubbish in Frederick Street when they have cleaned their little trucks.

“It is not fair to the residents and it is not fair to the people who use Robin Bank for a walk.

“The drains have also not been done.

“The proof is there for anyone to go up and have a look and see how solid they are.

“We keep being told about these flood meetings and it is a joke.

“They should stick to the basics and get the drains cleaned and stop these workmen from blocking them in the first place.

“If we got a heavy downpour the water would just rise up out of the drains and run down the road.”

Tony Watson, head of environment and public protection at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “We will ensure that any drains that may be blocked on and around Frederick Street are looked into.

“We are looking at the process of how we clean our street sweeper vehicles.”