RETIRED Christchurch residents have hit out at highway bosses for failing to clear drains despite ongoing wet weather amid safety concerns for road-users.

Angie Rattigan and Ken Collier have been forced to take action at their homes at Hinton Wood Avenue after drains filled with leaves caused water to gush across the road and into their driveways.

At one point Mr Collier, 83, claims he was unable to leave his home to walk his dog such was the depth of the water.

He has even taken to clearing the drains himself after road workers failed to respond to calls to clear the road, he says.

"At its worst it covers the whole road and comes up our drives," he said. "People couldn't pass it."

Mrs Rattigan, 69, said she was returning home from Waitrose with her husband, retired pilot Allan, and was unable to enter her property.

"I couldn't get out of the car, it was that deep," she said. "A lot of rubbish has covered my drive.

"When it's dark a sign isn't even put up. If my dear friend, Ken, hadn't cleared it, it would cover the road. People are going too fast and a bow wave literally comes up our drive way. At one stage it actually lapped against our house.

"We've called the fire brigade and the council and this situation has been like this for eight days, and nobody has come near, but it happens every year and I have lived here 38 years.

"At the end of the day they have done nothing about it and we pay so much money for our council tax but it's the safety of other people we're worried about because if they aquaplaned they would crash into the wall - it's dangerous."

A Dorset County Council spokesman said: "We will investigate the drains along this road to see if there is any underlying issues. Generally, in the section of the road, leaves in the gullies cause most of the problems and once these are cleared the water drains away."