Residents sick of being hemmed in by flooding after weekend rain pummels Canterbury

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By reporters Cate Broughton and Amber Allott:
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Residents of an east Christchurch street are sick of getting hemmed in by floodwater every time it rains, after the latest deluge left small car owners stranded once again.

Canterbury was battered with heavy rain on Saturday and early Sunday, causing surface flooding and road closures, part of a weather system driven by the remnants of ex-cyclone Dovi.

Sam McDonnell, who lives on Newport St in Christchurch's Avondale, woke up on Sunday to a road that had disappeared under floodwaters.

At 7am, the water was about 40 centimetres deep at the end of his driveway, McDonnell said.

He had owned his property since November and the street had flooded six times since then, but other residents said it had been a problem since the Canterbury earthquakes more than a decade ago, he said.

Rubberneckers often drove through the flooding, which pushed water onto properties, he said.

Locals wanted the council to look at storm water infrastructure for the area, to find a permanent solution, McDonnell said.