Three of the five Uttlesford flooding ‘hotspots’ set to benefit from a £1m emergency fund have been leaked.

Elizabeth Way in Saffron Walden, Lower Street in Stansted Mountfitchet and the area near the railway bridge on Cambridge Road, in Newport, have all been identified following a hastily arranged meeting of councillors and officers.

Uttlesford District Council has yet to confirm the final five but, according to the chairman of Stansted Parish Council, three are set in stone and two more will be finalised tomorrow.

Cllr Geoffrey Sell told the Reporter: “Councillors have been told to go away and come back with other suggestions of flood hotspots by tomorrow. That is when Rodney Bass [Essex County Council’s cabinet member for highways] has asked for nominations to be in by.”

Essex County Council announced earlier this week it had set aside £1m of funding to tackle 60 road flooding problem areas across the county. The authority has called on each of the 12 districts to identify the five worst-hit roads within their area.

Today (Thursday, February 13) senior officers at Uttlesford met with councillors to discuss where in the district the funding should be used.

Action will also be taken to clear culverts, empty and jet gullies and remove debris.

Earlier this week Cllr Bass called on the emergency services, drainage authorities, landowners, water authorities, rangers and the Environment Agency to also play their part in helping to clear up flooding hotspots.

He said: “Essex has experienced the longest sustained period of wet weather for many years. I very much welcome the additional emergency support of £1m that will go some way to alleviating the roadside flooding we are experiencing.

“Investing resources sensibly in this way also prevents future flooding. I hope partner agencies will follow our initiative to ensure an effective response at the worst points of flooding.”

ECC has recently released information advising residents to take care on the roads, at http://www.essex.gov.uk/News/Pages/Residents-advised-to-travel-with-caution0205-268.aspx.