HUNDREDS of homeowners could have added to major flooding problems on Canvey by failing to clear blocked drains on their land.

Anglian Water, which has been carrying out an investigation into the island’s drainage system, has found there are hundreds of privately-owned watercourses on the island, with some residents unaware of their responsibilities to clean them out.

The water company is investigating drainage on the island after last July’s severe flooding which damaged homes and businesses.

Residents who own land or property next to a river, stream or ditch are known as riparian landowners and it is their responsibility to ensure the watercourse is kept in a decent condition.

Jonathan Glerum, Anglian Water’s flood risk manager, told a local radio station, said: “There is a responsibility there on the property owner to maintain a flow through that watercourse, even if they don’t know it’s there.

“I think we are very realistic about the fact these people probably don’t know and it will come as a bit of a shock to them and we can’t just dump this on them.

“That’s not going to work. We need to work together with them to try and work our way through this in the best possible way.”

Brain Staines, 78, of San Remo Road, Canvey, was flooded out of his home in both the July 2014 and August 2013 and is the riparian owner of a pipe that feeds into the Anglian Water network.

He says riparian owners cannot be held responsible for maintenance.

Mr Staines said: “The reason there has been delays in clearing the pipe that serves our road is because it goes through people’s front gardens.

“It would be impractical for residents to maintain this – not all of them have a manhole in their garden.

“It would fall upon one in three to clear the pipes that belong to someone else.

“The pipe for San Remo runs the length of the front gardens opposite my house.

“They’re having difficulty in mapping the watercourse and the problem is if they clear their section, but these privately maintained ones are blocked, it makes any clearance they do redundant.”

It’s believed the problem stems back to the Seventies when residents were given the option to cover up the watercourses.

Canvey councillor Ray Howard said: “People were given a choice and some chose to pipe them up. Now we are finding watercourses which are all silted up and because of the piping, it’s difficult to find out what condition they are in.”

Anglian Water engineers have discovered problems with covered up pipes, collapsed drains and debris left by developers and utility companies.

The company does not know the condition of the private watercourses.

Anglian Water, Essex Highways and Castle Point Council have bid for £24million of Government funding in order to carry out necessary repairs.

It’s hoped some of the money will help riparian owners.

CASTLE Point MP, Rebecca Harris, hopes people will avoid any costs of having to clear out blocked pipes.

Mrs Harris hopes everyone will work together to ensure the island’s drainage system is working properly so it can be spared similar problems to last year when severe rainfall flooded Canvey.

She said: “If we want to secure our island from future flooding we need to ensure the drains are all working as they should be.

“It could be very difficult for residents to be slapped with a bill for fixing a piped watercourse under their house or garden they didn’t know existed because, for whatever reason, it wasn’t up in their conveyancing searches.

“I think when these cases come to light they should be looked at sympathetically on a case-by-case basis.”

A report on Anglian Water’s investigation into the drainage system is due next month.

A spokesman for Anglian Water said: “This is a jointly funded study that is mapping the unknown riparian owned watercourses on the island.

“We have one employee dedicated to this survey and going out and mapping the drains.

“Our work of jetting and surveying the drains continues, but this is focused on riparian ownership.

“We are not just going to say to residents you own this and leave it at that, there’s no benefit in that for anyone.

“There is an intention to support these people.”