Bristol councillor issues update on when flooded Lawrence Hill ‘Lido’ will be fixed

A pedestrian underpass in Bristol that has been flooded on a regular basis for a decade will be fixed this month, according to the councillor in charge.

The repeated flooding of the Lawrence Hill roundabout has even seen the underpass renamed the ‘Lawrence Hill Lido’ by locals due to the deep water that collects there after the heavy rain.

It has meant that many pedestrians and cyclists have had to make dangerous detours, often around the perimeter of the roundabout on the busy road above.

After heavy rain, the subway can be impassable on foot for as long as four weeks at a time and angry locals say it has been a problem for more than a decade.

Labour councillor Nicola Beech, who is the cabinet member with responsibility for Strategic Planning, Resilience & Floods, told the BBC on James Hanson’s morning show that the council had identified the problem and work to fix it will start soon.

She said: “We did a survey to see what the problem is and the reason why water sits there for four weeks at a time is because roots from the trees on the roundabout have got into the drainage routes out of the subway.

“Even the smallest amount of leaves or natural debris will block the drainage routes for that subway for weeks, as we’ve seen.

“Later on this month, there will be work to go into the drainage pipes to cut the tree roots out of the drains and that will hopefully clear it.

“We understand the problem and we’ll get the contractor in and hopefully it will work but nature works in strange ways.”