WATCH: A421 near Bedford could be closed 'for weeks' as over 10 million litres of floodwater already pumped from road

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The flooded A421 near Bedford could be shut ‘for weeks’ – as National Highways confirms it “is likely to remain closed for a prolonged period”.

The road was shut in both directions between A6 at Bedford to M1 junction 13 near Brogborough/Marston Moretaine on Sunday evening (September 22) after torrential rain.

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Both carriageways remain closed, and as of today (Friday), over 10 million litres of water have been pumped from the road – enough to fill four Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Meanwhile a fleet of 25 tankers are working “around the clock” to tackle the flooding.

Tankers on site at the A421 .Picture: National HighwaysTankers on site at the A421 .Picture: National Highways
Tankers on site at the A421 .Picture: National Highways

But regional director Martin Fellows told the BBC the reopening of the road "could well be weeks" away.

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Mr Fellows said the company was “taking every possible measure we can to alleviate this situation and get the roads open as soon as possible”.

He said: “The torrential weather experienced in this part of the country meant over a month’s rainfall fell in less than 48 hours. That overwhelmed the area and, for the first time we’ve experienced, flooded a nearby pumping station hampering our ability to deal this.

“This is an absolute priority as we don’t want people’s journeys impacted by disruption and all our efforts are focused on resolving this and getting the road open as soon as it is safe to do so.

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“Given the ground conditions are so wet and we are having to transport the floodwater away from the immediate area and along pipework over 4km in distance, it’s important people realise the size of the task and this could take a number of days to resolve.

“I understand that people are curious and want to visit the scene but I would kindly request that members of the public continue to support us by staying away from the area so our work to tackle this issue can continue to progress at pace.”

Once the water is cleared, there will be abandoned vehicles to recover and an extensive clean-up operation to ensure the road is safe to open.

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