Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with HS2 Ltd on the potential merits of taking preventative action on surface water from land owned by HS2 Ltd flooding the highway in the Ingestre and Tixall area during periods of heavy rainfall; and what steps she is taking to ensure HS2 Ltd implements an adequate drainage solution, including the proposed new ditch shown on drawing CT-06-212.

As the organisation set up by the Department to construct HS2, HS2 Ltd is responsible for mitigating the effects of the new railway on the local environment, including in relation to drainage. That said, the flooding of the highway experienced in the Ingestre and Tixall area is not a result of HS2 construction. It is in fact on a part of the route that is not being built, having been cancelled by the previous Government.

Although the flooding is not a result of HS2, it is believed to be caused by an inadequately sized pipe on land, some of which is owned by the Secretary of State and managed by HS2 Ltd. On behalf of the SoS, as a responsible landowner, HS2 Ltd has therefore asked its contractors to explore options for resolving the issue and is working with relevant local stakeholders to achieve a solution.