Queens Drive in Liverpool’s Mossley Hill set to reopen 12 months after couple died in flooding

A road prone to flooding is being reopened to traffic, 12 months after a couple died when their car was submerged in water.

The section of Queens Drive in the Mossley Hill area of Liverpool reopened in February but heavy rain on 10 July forced authorities to close it again.

The carriageway beneath the railway bridge between Dovedale Road and North Mossley Hill Road had been known to flood in periods of heavy rain.

Grandparents Philip and Elaine Marco became trapped last August.

They had been married for 53 years.

An inquest has been opened into the couple’s deaths.

United Utilities says it has been working with Liverpool City Council to investigate the causes of the flooding.

The firm says geotechnical experts have taken core samples from beneath the carriageway and installed monitoring equipment to assess the impact of groundwater.A spokesperson said, "The groundwater monitoring and investigations will continue into the autumn, but in the meantime United Utilities has completed repairs to the carriageway and pavement and the road has been handed back to Liverpool City Council for final checks before it is reopened."

Local councillor Richard Kemp, the current Lord Mayor of Liverpool, said the city council has reviewed and improved its actions if deluges continue.

He suggested a “huge investment” on nearby infrastructure would be needed because of the depth of the culvert.

"I am particularly pleased that the road will be open before the schools start again in two weeks,” he said.

"The diversions caused a major problem to residents on Dovedale Road, Penny Lane and Rose Lane in addition to other roads in the area.

"However, we know that this has caused widespread problems for traffic throughout South Liverpool”.