BUSINESSES in Audley, Blackburn, have accused United Utilities of wasting money on major water and drainage projects after their premises and local roads flooded twice in two days.

They said the company spent millions of pounds in the area, promising to protect it from flooding but this year the problem has worsened.

Mohammed Ishaq, who owns several units on a small business park in Dickens Street, which was deluged after the rain on Monday and Tuesday, said: “It is upsetting United Utilities have spend millions of pounds in the area and it has failed. It is going to cost businesses money.”

Steve Townend, director of precision engineers CDM UK in Dickens Street, said: “United Utilities spent a lot of money last year. The works lasted 12 months and caused a lot of disruption. They said it would improve drainage but now this happened. It’s a bad joke. It’s the worst flooding we have ever had here. We now wish they hadn’t done it..”

Ali Insar of A and J Cash and Carry said: “It’s a nightmare. It’s never been this bad.

“I really struggled last year during the work and am still waiting for compensation.

“This is affecting my business. People won’t come here with a flood outside the door.”

John Martin, from United Utilities, said: “We’re sorry for the businesses in Dickens Street and Dombey Street who have suffered flooding.

“We’re investigating the possibility of a collapsed sewer in Dickens Street.

“Our team have put a temporary fix in place. We will continue to have a presence in the area until we have made a full repair.

“Over the past few years we have carried out a number of projects to upgrade the wastewater infrastructure in Blackburn.

“It would seem this incident is related to a blockage on the sewer network caused by a collapse, rather than the storage capacity of the sewer.

“We will also be working closely with our customers who have been impacted to make sure they are back up and running without delay.”