Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help limit the impact of flooding on the railway bridge on Crossley Road in Stockport.

Network Rail informs me that the railway bridge on Crossley Road has no known flooding records and there have been no flooding-related issues reported.

Network Rail does undertake regular examinations and evaluations of its assets. If there is deemed to be a flooding concern then it would undertake the necessary interventions to mitigate the risk – including engaging with the appropriate local highway authority to understand the risk and root cause, and work collaboratively to resolve the issue.

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the public highways network in their area, including drainage in and around the carriageway. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances. Local highway authorities receive funding allocations from the DfT to maintain their local highway network: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations/highways-maintenance-and-itb-funding-formula-allocations-2022-to-2025