‘100 year old drainage system’ causing floods that killed Jewish couple
Councillor Richard Kemp, the deputy Lord Mayor of Liverpool, confirms there have been three floods this year in same spot that took the lives of Philip and Elaine Marco
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
The local councillor in the area where a devoted Jewish couple lost their lives after their car became trapped in flood water has claimed a “100 year old drainage system” is to blame for repeated problems in the same spot.
Richard Kemp, deputy Lord Mayor of Liverpool, confirmed to Jewish News there had been “three major floods” in the Mossley Hill area this year.
But he added he had “never seen anything of the scale” that led to the tragic deaths of kosher caterers Philip and Ellaine Marco after their vehicle became submerged in floodwater.
Kemp, councillor in the Penny Lane ward, told Jewish News:” I have been the councillor for the area for 20 years and live in the area.
“I also know the people who died through my regular contacts with the Jewish community.
“There have been small scale floods most years that I have been the councillor but big floods used to come in every three or four years.
“This year we have seen three major floods but we have never seen anything of the scale that we saw on Saturday night.
“The council has responded frequently over the years to complaints but have not dealt with the main problem which is that a 100 year old drainage system cannot cope with the fundamentally different climate systems and torrential rain which we now see.
“We need short term improvement measures such as better lighting but also a full review of the drainage systems to bring them up to a level where they can deal with present day needs.”
Tributes continued to be made to the “kind of generous” Marcos’ following their deaths last weekend, which left family and friends “devastated.”
Dame Louise Ellman, a former MP in nearby Liverpool Riverside, paid her own respects to the pair who she described as a “charming couple” who were “well-respected and proud of their Jewish identity.”
But Ellman confirmed to Jewish News she had heard about concerns raised at flooding on the stretch of road that took the couple’s lives in the past.
The former Labour Friends of Israel chair told Jewish News:”It’s clear that this was not a new issue. It is terrible that it has caused a tragic loss of life.”
Another local resident Jenna Serrano also told the Guardian newspaper :“It’s just awful what happened to that couple and the road is flooding all the time. It’s just a nightmare trying to get from A to B.”
Serrano said she had long feared a tragedy could happen in the area, pointing to the poor lighting and sloping road, as well as the heavy rain in Liverpool last weekend.
Lisa Gore, who also lives in the Mossley Hill area, confirmed she had lodged complaints with the local council about the repeated flooding issues under the bridge. “The council sent their condolences but really, they need to do something about it,” she said.
Photograph: Merseyside Police/PA
Rabbi Avremi Kievman, from Chabad Lubavitch in Liverpool, had also paid tribute to the “kind and generous couple” who he said were “personal friends”.
He described the Marco’s as “dedicated and devoted grandparents” parents to four children and 10 grandchildren and noted how for many years they had run the last remaining kosher catering company in Liverpool at weddings and bar mitzvahs.
“It is a terrible loss that will leave a mark in the whole community,” added Rabbi Kievman.
A statement from the Marco family said: “We are devastated and heartbroken by the sudden loss of Elaine and Philip Marco. “They were much loved parents to four children and 10 grandchildren. The family are arriving overseas from America and Australia to mourn their loss.
“They were due to celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary next week and our only comfort is knowing that they were together to the very end.”
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