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From	Subject/message
Steven Brown Brookfoot Saturday, February 29, 2020 11:29	Long Dike In one of the other threads it says that most Sutton related discussion is taking place on Facebook these days. Having been kicked off last year (don't ask!) I would rather not set up a new Facebook account to find out. Does anyone know if there is information with regard flooding from Long Dike on North Road and Ash Grove? It seems to be quite regular at the moment and I was wondering whether there were plans to deal with the problem long-term?
Denis Marshall Pickles Norfolk Tuesday, March 10, 2020 16:26	It’s well over sixty years since I left the village and it has grown in size tremendously since then. Lots of changes ! I have to admit that when I read this post, I had no idea where Long Dike was. I have located it now - I used to cross over it if I was walking from Crag Lane to the Acres, but I didn’t know that the tiny watercourse was called Long Dike. I guess it used to run through the allotments to somewhere near Low Fold where there was a ‘well’ at the side of the road. It disappeared underground after that perhaps to join with another underground stream which used to run from the vicinity of Bent Farm . That watercourse disappeared underground in a field at the back of the Chaffers residence and ran in a square sectioned culvert made of huge slabs of millstone grit through my grandads field ( it would have flowed under the Council owned elderly persons home - recently demolished ) and continued underground down the Old Dyke emerging in Frank Inghams field (now a housing estate) and joined Sutton beck after passing through the garden of the Butterfly House. In times of heavy rain, the stone culvert was unable to cope with the excess water and it spilled out into our field, and caused flooding on Crag View and the Old Dyke. I suppose that is what is happening now - the culvert/piped sections cannot deal with the heavy rainfall. Who is responsible for resolving the problem? I wouldn’t know, but the phrase ’riperian owner’ might provide a clue - if they are known!
Steven Brown Brookfoot Tuesday, March 10, 2020 16:40	Thanks for the background Dennis. Yes the situation you describe hasn’t changed to any degree. Long Dike ends in a culvert, in effect going into the drains. Unsurprisingly when the dike is in flood the water doesn’t overflow the culvert rather it forces its way up through the manhole covers. In other words the drains can’t handle the volume of water. Now if this happened once a decade and the cost of increasing the drainage bore was ridiculously expensive then fair enough. However, it does seem to be happening on a regular basis and it isn’t rocket science to fix it (obviously there will be exceptional circumstances when it wouldn’t be able to cope). The question is, is anything going to get done or will we just muddle through as usual?
Terry Longbottom Valley Wednesday, March 11, 2020 15:39	The long dyke was an open dyke until it reached north road between Elm dean and the allotments, it then went under the road and the yard and garages and gardens behind Elm road, under Ash Grove and into the field where it reverted to the open dyke it went under Hazel grove Rd close to where it joins Holme Lane, under Holme Lane and into the beck.` In the 60s it was rerouted from Elm Dean it turned 90`under the road to the junction with Ash Grove at this point a tank was constructed that collected Crag Dyke and all the other top water pipes. It then continued down Ash Grove to the point that it joined the route of the old dike. Since that time a vast amount of housing and hardstanding has been built. when it rains this moves the water into the topwater drains faster than previously. One more factor is the whole of the water that was once collected from the hillside was used to replenish the four reservoirs that supplied the village, now just runs to waste. this now added to the topwater drainage was never part of the calculations. once used it became part of the foul water system using a different disposal system. The reservoirs are now supplied from the national grid.
David Laycock Melbourne Australia Tuesday, March 17, 2020 22:44	You are correct Terry and Denis. the dyke used to run down in between Hardakers and the allotments. Remember catching minnows and baby trout, if lucky, and putting them into the dyke, where I had made a little dam, (Dad's water supply for his garden), and there was a well at the bottom by the gates. Dad won a duck at the football club Christmas raffle. Unfortunately it was still alive and kicking when delivered, and they couldn't bear to knock it off for Christmas, so they kept it in the garden pigeon shed and let it out to take off and have a swim in the dyke. Good snail exterminator, good life.
Denis Marshall Pickles Norfolk Wednesday, March 18, 2020 12:23	Hi David, You also mention the well on the Long Dyke opposite Crag View and you recount a few of your memories. Reading them brought back a vague memory of a part the well played in my young life when I lived 17 Hazel Grove. I can’t have been older than 5 or 6 years I old. One of our gang, it might have been Brian Lambert, he was a bit older than Brian Wilcock and myself, had a bogie - you know what I mean - a pram chassis modified to make it capable of being steered (one pair of wheels was moveable). Well, apart from using the bogie to transport our young bodies down Bent Lane, down to the vicinity of Willis’ shop, we used the appliance as a water bowser. We had an old tin bath which fitted nicely on the bogie. That we filled with water at the aforementioned well and taken to use on our civil engineering projects which were carried out on the waste ground where Mr Robinson constructed his air raid shelter. There was a problem though. The tin bath leaked and by the time we’d made our way back, it was usually empty! Happy days! Sorry if I’m boring the pants off the readers. There can be very few who will remember those days going back some eighty years and I apologise.
David Laycock Melbourne Australia Thursday, March 19, 2020 00:31	Good to reminisce, take your mind off this virus eh? The well was opposite the wood yard, next door to Colemans, our local tv viewing! Dad had a cottage where his allotment used to be, after he sold 10 Crag View. I think under the Glen Whiteoak photos there is a photo of the old shed which was on my Dad's patch! Hope you are keeping Safe and Healthy, Terry and Denis, and in this case, Sutton as well. I spoke to Allan on March 8th (Mum's Birthday) so far no problems down there.
Steven Brown Brookfoot Friday, March 20, 2020 07:02	Thanks everyone, " it turned 90`under the road to the junction with Ash Grove" is worrying" (along with everything eles).

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