Barking and Dagenham council leader Dominic Twomey has said he is “glad” he no longer lives on the Rylands Estate, where a draft council strategy identifies a significant flood risk from water diverted by river defences.

The Labour leader lived for “many years” on the estate in Oval Road North, Dagenham, and said he “would never have imagined” it would be among the areas at risk.

“I’m glad I no longer live where I used to live.” He also voiced concern about drainage-related flooding in central parts of the borough away from rivers, describing it as “quite a worrying development” amid changing weather.

The draft flood risk management strategy identifies four areas facing significant risks. It describes how defences can divert water towards homes, while underground waterways and blocked drainage routes create further vulnerabilities.

At Rylands Estate, water diverted by defences at the River Beam and Wantz Stream could flood 16 homes in a one-in-30-year event. Properties at risk are mainly on Ballards Close, Ballards Road and the eastern end of School Road, with several more on Oval Road North.

Around Parsloes Park, the likelihood is lower, although more homes could be affected: 76 properties could flood in a one-in-75-year event.

A further 48 homes around Heathway Industrial Estate, mainly on Rainham Road North and Panyers Gardens, are at risk because they occupy the historic course of the Wantz Stream, which has been diverted underground through a culvert.

At Westrow Drive, 18 homes face a risk from water diverted by flood defences elsewhere. The strategy says a defence blocks surface water flowing towards the Mayes Brook, causing it to “pond in the residential area behind it”.

Four projects are proposed to protect the affected areas. They include a flood bank in Old Dagenham Park to protect Rylands Estate, costing around £212,337, and bringing the Gores Brook out of its underground culvert beneath Parsloes Park to flow openly through the park, at an estimated £808,513.

The council has also applied for grant funding for a floodwater storage scheme in Rainham Road North. The strategy remains a draft, and the proposed works should not be confused with protection already in place.