Council workers attended 52 flooding incidents during an 'intense rainfall event' last autumn.

Stoke-on-Trent saw around 20mm of rain falling in a two-hour period on October 31 last year, leading to flooded roads across the city.

Scrutiny committee members will be given an update on the flooding incidents and the council's response at a meeting next week.

The report to the housing, regeneration and operations scrutiny committee says the combination of steep topography, 'heavily urbanised catchments' and autumnal leaf fall created the conditions for widespread surface water flooding across multiple neighbourhoods.

Council officers included five blocked gullies, a collapsed gully connection and 24 incidents involving sewer capacity or overflow issues. There were 11 incidents of internal property flooding, and additional cases are still being assessed.

The report states: "The 31 October 2025 flooding event was driven by an intense short-duration rainfall episode coupled with the city's steep terrain and autumn leaf fall.

"The local lead flood authority (LLFA) and highways teams acted promptly, addressing 52 incidents, with follow-up investigations still ongoing.

"The LLFA will continue to work with affected communities, improve internal processes, and explore funding pathways to reduce future flood risk across the city."

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According to the report, the incidents highlighted issues with blocked or poorly maintained drainage infrastructure and the need for enhanced maintenance schedules, particularly in winter.

The council is planning to carry out a number of measures to improve highway drainage resilience with the support of additional funding in 2026/27.

This will include increased gully cleansing and routine inspections, with the number of gully tankers being doubled, and targeted drainage improvements at key locations.

The council will also recruit a dedicated drainage asset engineer, who will developer a forward-looking plan for maintaining and improving highway drainage infrastructure.

The scrutiny committee will meet on Wednesday, March 25.