SILKSTONE residents are blaming a blocked culvert for the floods which devastated the village last month.

The culvert, which runs under the garage forecourt on Barnsley Road, is jointly maintained by the council and the Co-op.

An open air meeting was held last Friday, at which council engineers, Co-op staff and contractors tried to determine the extent of the problem and what could be done.

A group of angry residents descended on the meeting demanding answers and action to prevent further flood damage.

Agricultural contractor Christopher Crowcroft said the floods had halted his business and inflicted £30,000 of damage to his equipment.

“If we’re not turning wheels, we’re not earning brass.

“The only thing that's happening is it’s going to run down the high street and we’re all going to get our bloody feet wet again.”

Dave Bedford Building Contractors, hired by the Co-op, attempted to use a small pump to lower the river level enough to allow them to determine if the culvert was blocked.

A larger pump was brought in on Monday, which allowed the contractors to reduce the water level enough to insert a camera into the culvert.

A blockage, consisting mainly of wood and debris washed down-river by the floods, was discovered 6m from the entrance.