You'll have noticed that the flooding has not been as bad by the railway bridge on Old Salisbury Lane this week. That in very large part is due to the action of a local resident who has dug a channel from the road into the adjoining land. Huge thanks to him for such public-spirited work.
Highways have also cleared the gully to the side as well, but as you might have noticed the problem is that it is being overwhelmed by the volume of water coming down Old Salisbury Lane and blocked by the amount of debris that water is carrying.
There was no flooding here until the railway bridge was rebuilt by Network Rail about 8-9 years ago. So that is another challenge in that the road levels have changed in relation to the land alongside.
Hampshire Highways have concluded that two things are needed. An improved drainage system by the bridge but also an investigation as to why so much more water and debris has flown down Old Salisbury Lane in the last couple of years.
The pig fields have now been used as set aside land for nitrate neutrality, (so will effectively be re-wilded over time) so there is no agricultural activity taking place on them, which would in normal circumstances be the cause of increased run off.
The feeling is therefore that a two-pronged approach is needed to deal with the issue, and investigations into how to reduce the amount of water and how to get that which reaches the bridge to drain away more quickly is needed.
I hope that helps.