PENSIONER Robert Harris fears gushing water could cause an accident on a busy Weymouth road.

He is concerned that the elderly could slip up on surface water near the health centre on Portland Road at Wyke Regis.

The 73-year-old worries that there is a blockage in the drains causing the problem.

“The water has been gushing out and running down the hill.

“My concern is that people will fall over and hurt themselves.

“There are old people going to the health centre who could be hurt. More investigations need to be carried out and it needs to be sorted out.”

Mr Harris, who lives near the health centre on Portland Road with wife Linda, called the council after heavy rain earlier in the week.

Workmen cordoned off the scene following the concerns and are to launch an investigation.

Mr Harris said that there had been ongoing problems with the drains on the road – including flooding in his garden.

A new manhole was fitted in the pavement but Mr Harris said that it lifted and spilled water when heavy rains came.

“It was all hunky dory until it rained again.

“The force of the rain lifted the manhole cover.”

He added: “There may be a blockage further down the road.

“It is surface water which is causing the problem.”

The council is to launch an investigation into the problem.

A county council spokesman said: “This is a problem that we inherited after highways duties in the borough transferred to us from Weymouth and Portland Borough Council in April.

“We believed the problem had been resolved after we installed a new manhole cover in the footway and the drains were cleared.

“We had not received any recent reports of flooding until Mr Harris phoned us.

“We sent out the borough maintenance unit to replace the manhole cover which had blown off following the heavy rain.

“We will check the drainage system to see if there are other problems further down the road that are causing the flooding.”

There was no comment from the health centre.