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Wat-er has happened?

Mark Hesford
25/ 4/2008

VISITORS to Gorton Park can now enjoy the serene sights of geese and ducks floating gracefully along the water.

There's just one small problem: Gorton Park doesn't have a lake or a pond.

Broken drains at the beauty spot have caused such a deluge that, not only have the water-loving birds flocked to the park, but nearby All Saints School have suffered a flooding.

A cleaner at the school, Ellaine Davis, of Blackwin St, Gorton, said: "It caused serious damage to one of the classrooms.

"At the moment, the park must be four feet deep in water.

"It's like this nearly every month, whenever it rains heavily.

"The area's only just been taped off, but for ages there was nothing to stop any children from falling in."

Gloria Barnwell, Chair of the Friends Of Gorton Park, said: "This has been going on about five years now.

"I've had several meetings with Steve Downey, the park's manager, and the Friends' have got a petition together with over 250 signatures on it so far.

"We want something doing about it because it's so unsafe.

"It's not just about draining the water away; every time it rains, it happens again. They need to look at the cause."

Mr Downey said the root of the floodings were the park's poplar trees.

"We've got a contractor going into the park investigating the problem" he said.

"The drains have been blocked at the lower end of the park for many years and the contractor is trying to release the flow of the water away from the park and design a new drainage system to avoid this problem in the future.

"What's causing the problem is the poplar trees. They were planted many years ago when pollution was really bad. They are native to Manchester and one of the few trees that could survive in that atmosphere.

"They were planted all around the park and over the last 20 years, these trees' roots have damaged the drains.

"We've taken down the poplars - which were already suffering from a virus - so they won't keep causing problems.

"We're trying to solve this as best we can. When we receive the new design, we will look for funding to implement the new system as soon as possible."