AS USUAL, during heavy rainfall, Oxford Road, Horspath, flooded.

The problem is caused by water coming off Shotover and entering the roadside ditch which overflows because a pipe taking the ditch past a gateway is blocked. When the water runs down the road past the blockage, it cannot re-enter the ditch because the gullies into the ditch are also blocked and the road becomes flooded.

I wrote to the county council in 2002 about the problem and told them what needed doing to cure the problem, but I wasted my time.

This has been happening for more than 10 years now. Twice over the years, one man has gone to Oxford Road with a shovel, cleared the gullies and, within 20 minutes, the water was no more Two years ago, the road was closed after an early morning car crash caused by the floodwater freezing overnight. The same man went down there in the morning with his shovel and cleared the road of water.

A few weeks later, he met an engineer from the county council in Oxford Road, where he pointed out where the blockage is and explained how to clear it and, again, nothing has been done.

If I was being paid the expenses some of our councillors are being paid, I would do the job for them myself in half a day, but as I am not, we will have to wait until someone is seriously injured or killed before our wonderful councillors decide to get out and do something.