Flooding on Wellington Road in Burton is "beyond a joke" with cars forced to avoid overflowing puddles by driving down the middle of the road, say local residents.

Householders have complained about flood prevention schemes in Wellington Road after huge puddles appeared in the road following periods of bad weather.

The road, which runs from Shobnall roundabout to Morrisons in town, has suffered problems with flooding in the past, and Staffordshire County Council says teams have previously visited the road to clear gullies.

But readers have said rainwater often covers the entire surface forcing cars to drive down the middle of the road to avoid as much of the water as possible.

John Simpson said: "I moved to Branston nearly four years ago and the drains were already silted up then.

"I use the path every day to get to work and I find it almost impossible to get past the standing waring, which goes so far out into the road and stretches for well over 100m. With any passing traffic spraying so much with so much force, you get soaked.

"The water gets in your face and has knocked my glasses off and the gritty water even got forced into my eye.

"I've emailed the council may times to complain. If the council workers got soaked going to work every time it rained I'm sure the problem would soon get sorted."

Another local man, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "The flooding on Wellington Road is getting beyond a joke. I have tried to get in touch with the council about this, but nothing is being done.

"They won't do anything until there is a really bad accident and someone is hurt. I want the council to wake up."

The road has a speed limit of 40mph, but residents fear the surface water could potentially cause problems for drivers travelling at the maximum speed.

Helen Fisher, cabinet support member for Highways and Transport at Staffordshire County Council, said: "Our gully emptiers are working full time across the entire highway network maintaining over 150,000 gullies. If there are problems during times of heavy rain we will prioritise those areas where private property is affected or flooding presents a hazard to the road user.

"Our highways teams have already been on site to clear the gullies and additional work to remove a build-up of silt in the drains will be scheduled in and completed when resources are available.

"People can report any highways issues at www.staffordshire.gov.uk or by calling 0300 111 8000."

Meanwhile, flood improvement schemes across Staffordshire have received a cash boost of £2.7 million for the next four years. it was revealed last week.

The work is being carried out by Staffordshire County Council, the Environment Agency, district councils and Severn Trent Water. It is hoped the works will help to manage problems with flooding across the county.

The addition will bring the total of the project to a total of £17 million, and alterations will make Burton's flood defences 'more resilient'. Bosses have said they are looking at ways flooding can be managed from rivers in areas like Burton.

The day Burton town centre almost flooded

Pictures taken from the Burton Mail archive of the flooding of November 2000
Pictures taken from the Burton Mail archive of the flooding of November 2000

Floods caused devastation to some streets in Burton and surrounding villages back in November 2000. It rained for days and as the puddles got bigger, so did the levels of the River Trent, which eventually burst its banks and the entire Washlands was under water. The town's new £1 million flood defences at the time did their job and stopped the town centre flooding, despite fears they could be breached.

Pictures taken from the Burton Mail archive of the flooding of November 2000
Pictures taken from the Burton Mail archive of the flooding of November 2000

During the drama the Ferry Bridge was also closed as the river was almost lapping onto the viaduct. The ornamental swan in Stapenhill Gardens looked as if it was swimming in the river.

Traffic was brought to a halt and anyone who lived close to the town had to put on their walking shoes to make sure they got home safely.