After the flooding in Edinburgh a week or two ago, last weekend I was prompted to check on the progress the Council had made on a number of blocked drains (gullies) I reported for a constituent on the 18th of May.

Between Fairmilehead crossroads and Colinton Mains Tesco (3km), I counted 36 blockages. If the Council are serious about mitigating the impact of #climatechange, they have to manage their assets way better than this.

Since reporting these again (1st of July), I received the response below from the Council on the 4th of July:

I have now investigated the matter and have arranged for the gullies between Fairmilehead Crossroads and Colinton Mains Tesco to be prioritised for attendance. Some were attended last night with the remaining to be carried out shortly. Gullies not accessible due to parked cars will require a temporary parking restriction order to be promoted.

I would reassure you that the reporting system is monitored and faults/defects/gullies will be attended to. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to address issues quickly due to resources but they will not be ignored. I would still encourage your constituents to continue reporting blocked gullies or any gully related issues via section of the Council’s web-site, at the following link.

There are over 55,000 gulleys adopted and maintained by the Council and there is a rolling programme of inspection and maintenance. We do prioritise sensitive locations that we become aware of, through inspections and reports from members of the public.