Fuming Mansfield resident hits out at Severn Trent plans to site 'rain garden' right outside her house

The woman said the location of the proposed garden – a gravel area designed to help reduce flood risk – would prevent her being able to park outside her home on Hibbert Road and make access to her path difficult, not just for herself, but also her mum who has difficulty walking.

That was why, she said, she needed to park outside the front of the property, rather than further away, as had been suggested, because her mum cannot walk far.

It was also why she has been in discussion with Mansfield Council over having a drop-kerb installed in front of her house, whch would be redundant if the rain garden is built there.

The work, due to start on February 6, has now been postponed while the issue is investigated.

The woman also criticised Severn Trent for not carrying out enough research into whether properties had residents with disabilities.

She said: "My concern is not the rain garden itself, it’s the fact I don’t want it outside my house where it’s going to affect disability access and parking.

“They also said they stood outside my property and just by looking at it decided there would be no issue with mobility or disabled access, because they couldn’t see any ramps or handrails.

“I maintain you can’t stand outside a property and determine just by looking at it whether someone who lives there has disability issues or not. And in any case, we have a handrail outside at the front.”

A Severn Trent spokesman said: “We’re excited to be bringing sustainable drainage to Mansfield, as this £76 million investment will bring huge benefits, including reducing the risk of flooding to those living in the community.

“Ahead of work starting, we sent letters, posted on social media and held a community meeting for people in the area to find out about our plans, but we understand this lady’s concerns.

"As soon as we were made aware, our teams met her and stopped work immediately.

“We’re sorry for any upset caused. Until this is resolved, we have postponed this work and will continue to engage with her and our partners on a way forward.”