Home   Dover   News   Article

Teenagers seen jumping A20 railings after Townhall Street underpass in Dover floods

Teenagers have been seen jumping barriers to cross a dangerous road following the flooding of an underpass.

The Townhall Street subway in Dover was left under four or five inches of water after heavy rain at the weekend.

Dover resident, Kevin Clark noticed the underpass was flooded on Sunday. Picture: Kevin Clark
Dover resident, Kevin Clark noticed the underpass was flooded on Sunday. Picture: Kevin Clark

Resident Kevin Clark says the issue is a long-running one.

"It has flooded on numerous occasions," he said.

"I would say it was around four to five inches deep with water on Sunday.

"I had to take an alternative route to get to the other side.

"Before I went down into the underpass, I noticed four teenage lads jumping the A20 railings across the road to get to the town side - I thought this was extremely dangerous."

A spokesperson from Dover District Council said: "We are aware of the situation and are in communication with National Highways who are responsible for the maintenance of the subway."

Meanwhile. National Highways spokesperson, Peter Philips, said: “We carry out regular maintenance and inspections on our assets to minimise the impact of equipment failure.

"In this instance, we have carried out an investigation and found that the pumps had tripped and failed which has contributed to the flooding at this site.

“Our contractor is in the process of arranging emergency repairs to the equipment to ensure they are working. We would like to apologies for any inconvenience caused to local residents and road users while we carried out these repairs."

Saturday marked the first anniversary of the death of 13-year-old Mya Lawrence, who was knocked down by a car on Whitfield Hill in Dover last October.

The teenager had decided to cross the road rather than using a dimly-lit underpass.

Her family is now calling for a new footbridge crossing to improve safety for pedestrians.

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More