Government is working to combat flooding on Mill Creek Road a decades-old headache for area business owners, who claim high water levels have caused them customers and money.

A statement issued yesterday by the Ministry of Works and Engineering cited damage to a weight gate as the major cause of the flooding. Work on its repair is anticipated to begin soon.

"A sluice gate located at the end of the Pembroke Canal at Mill Creek was designed to prevent water entering the canal at high tides and to permit water draining into the canal to empty into Mill Creek at low tides," said a Works and Engineering spokesperson. "Regrettably, the current sluice gate is not functioning it is fixed in the partially open position.

"Replacement parts for this gate have been ordered and repairs will begin as soon as they arrive. In the meantime, the Ministry is liaising with a consultant to design a replacement sluice gate with a view to undertaking the works later this year."

The spokesperson described the Pembroke creek as "a low-lying area that has always been vulnerable to flooding in unusually high tides, storm surges and high rainfall".

According to business owners in the area, this has been a nuisance for employees, who cannot easily get into work, and a hindrance for customers, who often go elsewhere for goods when the road is flooded.

The spokesperson said consultation will be undertaken with affected property owners to determine how the amenity of the area may be improved.

The announcement was well received by Tops President, Jim Ferguson, who said these improvements could have an obvious impact to his business.

"Our employees leave their cars at the gate and we have to go pick them up because they are not willing to drive their personal cars into the business because of the salt water effect on their vehicles," he said. "This means a loss of business to us, it also hampers our deliveries in that our own vehicles are having to travel back and forth through the flood, which ultimately causes problems with the trucks."

Toby Kemp of Bermuda Forwarders said for improvements to be effective, the road should be raised approximately 18 inches, to where it was more than 25 years ago.

"The gate will certainly help the flooding, but it wont help when there is severe rain," he said.

The removal of loose debris and horticultural waste materials that could be blocking the canal from properties would help, the Ministry added.

"In addition, area residents and the public generally are reminded that fluids containing silt and sand should not be drained into the canal, as these materials are deposited downstream, particularly in the slower moving waters along Mill Creek Road, thereby reducing the depth of the canal and exacerbating the flooding in the area."