Fakenham teenager clears blocked drain on B1110, Broom Green

Kieran Walpole, from Fulmodeston, near Fakenham, cleared the flood by the old railway bridge in Broom Green, on the B1110 between Dereham and Fakenham on January 9, and is now receiving money as a thank you.

Kieran's mum, Donna, said her son knew exactly where the drain was, having unblocked smaller clogs there over the last few months, but took on his biggest challenge with the water as deep as two feet at the edge, and even deeper in its centre.

“It had been closed for five days and was inconveniencing many people and adding time to their journeys,” she said.

Kieran Walpole from Fakenham cleared the flood by the old railway bridge in Broom Green, on the B110 between Dereham and Fakenham on January 9 (Image: Donna Walpole)

“My son wanted to do something to help, he attempted to clear the drain last Friday (January 5), but the water was so deep that he could not gain safe access to the drain.

“Kieran said that he wanted to try to clear it again, as it was getting in the way of people trying to get to work and adding time to their journeys, as they were having to take a longer route.”

Mrs Walpole said that Kieran borrowed one of his dad's gardening tools and checked the water depth first to ensure the water was not going to go over the top of his wellies.

Grabbing his trusty head torch he gave the drain a few good scraps to remove the mud and debris, and just like that, the drain was unblocked - and within 30 minutes the water had cleared and the road was accessible again.

“My son is always doing work in the community, so his actions last night did not surprise me,” Mrs Walpole added.

“He is a very practical boy and great at solving problems.”

Back in 2018, Kieran saved 35 toads from 'certain death'. 

Since his work, people in Fakenham have been messaging her asking if they can send him some money to express their gratitude. The mum set up a GoFundMe page, which has so far seen £35 raised.

She stressed that “Kieran did this act out of kindness and to help make people's lives easier, not to receive a reward for this effort.”

Kieran Walpole (Image: Donna Walpole)