Plateau Rd Avalon, Bilgola Plateau: Emergency clean up crew called in after roadworks run-off hits homes

Emergency crews are helping northern beaches’ residents clean up after stormwater run-off from a council roadworks site hit several private properties.

After a heavy downpour on Sunday afternoon, run-off from roadworks by Northern Beaches Council contractors on Plateau Rd, Avalon, cascaded into several properties, carrying soil and gravel with it. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

Emergency clean up crews have been deployed by Northern Beaches Council to help residents smashed by stormwater run-off, dirt and gravel washed from a council roadworks project.

Several homes along Plateau Rd at Avalon were hit by torrents of water and debris when street and kerb drains could not cope during a heavy downpour on Sunday afternoon.

Council contractors had been working to stabilise and resurface the roadway, stretching between Bilgola Plateau and Avalon Beach for more than a week before the heavy rain hit.

Sandbagging and earthworks placed by the State Emergency Service in Plateau Rd, Avalon on Sunday to divert rainwater run-off from properties on a strip of the street undergoing roadworks. Picture: SES Warringah/Pittwater Unit

Residents told the Manly Daily that water cascaded down Plateau Rd, carrying soil and gravel, before ending up in their properties.

One householder said the run-off poured off the road, through shrubbery and under the front door, flooding the upper level of the hillside house.

Water spread across the wooden floorboards and seeped through light fittings to rooms below.

Sandbagging and earthworks being placed by the State Emergency Service in Plateau Rd, on Sunday. Picture: SES Warringah/Pittwater Unit

At 6pm on Sunday the council put out an alert on its website and email that the State Emergency Service (SES) was sandbagging in the street in an effort to divert water away from properties.

Road damage and debris in Plateau Rd, Avalon on Sunday, caused by a heavy downpour on a strip of the street undergoing roadworks. Picture: Supplied

“Unfortunately, ongoing rain has further damaged the road, and run-off has impacted several properties,” the council alert stated.

Roadworks by Northern Beaches Council contractors on Plateau Rd, between Avalon and Bilgola Plateau, on Tuesday. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

“The road is now fully closed and only accessible to emergency vehicles.”

On Monday, the council alerted residents that it was continuing to “work on diverting run-off after the heavy weekend rains and assisting residents with clearing debris”.

Damage and debris in Plateau Rd, Avalon on Sunday, caused by a heavy downpour on a strip of the street undergoing roadworks. Picture: Supplied

Senior council staff have been doorknocking to check in on residents and organising to reinstate driveway access and clear debris from yards.

On Tuesday a digger was being used to build up an earthen bank outside homes to prevent further inundation in the event of another major downpour or storm.

A Northern Beaches Council contractor's digger creates a bank of earth outside a house on Plateau Rd, Avalon on Tuesday to help protect the property from stormwater run-off while roadworks are underway. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

Residents were told that the council expects its contractor to complete temporary seals on Plateau Rd this week with permanent seals finished next week, weather permitting.

The Manly Daily asked the council if it may have to compensate property owners for any damage and the cost of clearing debris as a result of the run-off.

Council staff have been advising residents who experienced property damage to notify their own insurance providers.

“Again, we thank you for your patience and apologise for any inconvenience,” it stated in its alert.