REDDITCH taxi drivers claim they are losing valuable trade and visitors to the town are getting a terrible first impression because blocked drains are causing flooding in the bus station.

Drivers using the taxi rank in the bus station say the relevant authorities have failed to clean leaves and rubbish from the gullies in Oakly Road and Station Way and when it rains the leaves are blocking drains and causing flooding.

Ahsan Ahmed, of Ash Taxis, said: "We asked the council to come and look at the problem and they did but still nothing has been done about it.

"Every time it rains we get torrents of water pouring down Oakly Road into our rank and there's nowhere for it to go.

"Not only is it dangerous for our passengers, many of who are elderly people with shopping bags or mothers with pushchairs, but this is often also the first impression visitors get of Redditch after they have got off a train.

"Is this the terrible first impression we want to put in people's minds?

"It's not fair on all of us who are simply trying to earn a living. We're totally fed up with the situation."

Chris Jefferson, senior maintenance manager for the Highways Partnership Unit, said: "The gullies in Oakly Road are supposed to be cleared once or twice a year but have not been done for two or three years.

"The reason is cars continually parked down the road make the gullies impossible to clean.

"We're looking to get a clearway order which means everyone parked in the roads have to move their cars but this could take up to eight weeks."