A SUCCESSFUL bid for £3m is to go "down the drain" over the next three years in Kirklees.
The cash is to pay for a gully emptying and repair project across the district until 2008.
About £1m of the total is to be spent every year by Kirklees highways and transport services, as part of a cleansing, unblocking and repair blitz of gullies in the district.
A report to the council's transport overview and scrutiny panel tomorrow says the capital programme will help improve land drainage and reduce the risk of flooding.
The report says intense rainfall over the last three years, has highlighted the need for a district-wide improvement in the network if the consequences of global warming continue.
Work has already started on the scheme. In the first four weeks of the project since January, 10,000 gullies have been looked at and 9,000 cleaned.
This compares with 4,800 seen and 4,000 cleaned as an average four-week performance.
By March next year the team involved aims to have looked at 165,000 gullies, emptied 145,000, jetted and cleared 15,000 and repaired 550 places where pipes have been cut.
The report says the programme will improve the state of repair of the district's highways drainage systems, improve safety, encourage walking and cycling and make the general infrastructure better connected, cleaner and more attractive.
Failure of the larger drainage systems could badly damage property and - in extreme circumstances- create life-threatening situations.
