TWO county councils could be putting their heads together to solve a flooding problem in a rural lane near Bromyard.

Residents of Gaines Road, off the A44 west of Sapey Bridge, have been complaining for years that a 30-yard stretch of the road floods every time there is any rain.

Stan Marshall, of Gaines Road, says that for years Worcestershire County Council and Herefordshire Council have denied responsibility, each saying that the other should fix it.

Mr Marshall says the trouble dates back some 40 years, when a pond near the road was filled in by workmen dumping soil from nearby roadworks.

At the time, Gaines Road was in Worcestershire, but after the merger and subsequent separation of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, it is now in Herefordshire.

Mr Marshall said: “When we contact Herefordshire, they say Worcestershire should deal with it because it was in Worcestershire when the pond was filled in. But Worcestershire says Herefordshire should deal with it.

We’re being driven from pillar to post.”

He says the flooding is up to 10 inches deep, making the road virtually impassable for pedestrians. Residents have to drive down through the floods to pick up relatives, including schoolchildren, who have arrived by bus.

However, Herefordshire Council spokesman John Burnett says the two councils could now work together to tackle the problem following a site visit by Herefordshire engineers last week.

He said: “If necessary, Herefordshire Council will work together with colleagues from Worcestershire to establish the cause of flooding and any remedial work that needs to take place.”