HIGHWAYS chiefs say almost 53,000 gullies have been cleared this year as part of efforts to prevent flooding.
The work was carried out by Staffordshire County Council crews and saw the eight teams tackle 18% more drains than in the previous year.
It comes after an £8million investment into road repairs from the authority.
Cllr Mark Deaville, cabinet member for strategic highways, said:
“The heavy rains and strong winds brought by Storm Darragh tested our highways crews to the limit – this underscores the necessity of our ongoing investments into preventative maintenance.
“Our teams successfully cleared around 53,000 drains this year, playing a vital role in reducing flood risk. This is in addition to attending emergency flooding incidents, drainage dig downs and maintaining drainage ditches.
“We also know that severe weather often worsens road defects, which is why we committed an additional £8million in May to repair road surfaces and undertake preventative measures to ensure we are prepared for wetter winters.
“This important funding has enabled us to fix more than 27,000 potholes and clean nearly 20% more gullies compared to this time last year.”
