A SOPHISTICATED scheme to solve a severe sewage flooding problem in Holywell is well under way.

Welsh Water has confirmed that progress is being made to find a solution to the long-standing flooding issue that has blighted homes in parts of the town for more than 30 years.

Contractors Invek have carried out a comprehensive survey of the drainage system in a bid to find the root of the problem.

In a letter to Holywell town council Laura Lloyd, customer complaints co-ordinator with Welsh Water, said: “Our contractors Invek have completed private drainage and impermeable area surveys for 26 properties in the immediate vicinity.

“Impermeable area surveys have also been carried out at 50 further properties across Holywell to identify the extent of surface area draining to the foul and surface water sewerage systems.”

Engineers have found that the gullies at the junction of Cross Road and Coleshill Road connect to a separate highway drain and not the combined public sewer as was originally thought.

The information has been conveyed to Flintshire Council along with a request to clear the highway drain.

Experts are now working on a hydraulic model of the sewer network and are asking affected residents to report any floods to them immediately.

Ms Lloyd added: “We can then compare these reported incidents against recorded high depths and levels of flow within the sewer.

"This will give added confidence in the accuracy of the model and help us to develop robust solutions to resolve the flooding and prioritise the works within our future programme for capital investment during the period 2010 to 2015.”

A progress report will be submitted to the town council in three months.