The 10 flood prevention schemes Bournemouth desperately needs but can’t afford

The council's list of 'work in progress' applications have a combined cost of £3.4 million.

These include a storage system in Queen's Park estimated to cost around £1.1m, and works proposed in Mandale Road and Castle Lane West expected to cost £700,000 and £554,000 respectively.

In Boscombe precinct drains have reportedly been damaged by market vehicles, requiring some £70,000 of repairs to be carried out "over several years".

Kinson Dam is thought to require £60,000 of works to bring it up to scratch.

In West Cliff Road at Durley Chine new piping is expected to cost £60,000.

Some £25,000 is earmarked for investigation of the Bourne Stream culvert, which carries the river under Pier Approach to the beach.

In some areas the cause of flooding has yet to be ascertained.

Of Redhill Avenue, the council report says: "Not sure what can be done or exact nature of problem."

At Riverside Avenue there is no cost estimate for works to clear a pipe leading into the river as part of Wessex Way works.

Columbia Gardens is described as suffering "extensive flooding" but the council says there is "no obvious solution", despite Wessex Water installing a £940,000 storage tank in nearby Priestly Road in 2011 in a bid to tackle the problem.

Residents of Columbia Gardens recently cited flooding fears in their objections to plans by DWP Housing Partnership to build a seven-home infill development using their private road for access.

The council's Flood Advisory Group, which works closely with Wessex Water, has been struggling to find cash for the upgrades.

Group chairman Councillor Patrick Oakley told the Daily Echo the drains matched up to industry standards.

"The majority of drainage systems within the borough are the responsibility of Wessex Water," he said.

"As a statutory water company with responsibilities for both foul water and surface water drainage systems these are designed around industry and central government standards."

The council's Flood Risk Management Strategy, published in 2015, states that the town's problems are a legacy of urban development in the days before surface flooding was taken into account.

“Whenever there is any redevelopment the new infrastructure must take flooding into account,” the report says.

“It is simply impossible to prevent flash flooding but we can minimise the impact by making space for the water within the planning process.”