The developer behind a planned 24-storey tower block has been blamed for failing to unblock a brook after homes were flooded twice in eight days.

The Environment Agency said a blocked culvert on Wembley Brook caused flooding in Tokyngton Avenue, Wembley, earlier this month.

Following a downpour on August 2, an area of around a square mile was left under a metre of water and one man had to be rescued from his van by firefighters. 

Just a week before, gardens in Tokyngton Avenue were submerged following heavy rain overnight.

It has now been confirmed that temporary works in Wembley Brook caused the flooding.

These were put in place while contractor Henry Construction worked on neighbouring land as part of the Argenta House residential scheme.

The scheme is a joint venture between developers Latimer and Londonewcastle, which will see a 24-storey block of 130 flats built on the site.

Brent Council said that the joint venture took back control of the site from Henry Construction after the contractor went into administration on June 8.

The authority added that the developers were asked to remove temporary works by the Environment Agency on July 25, two days before flooding first hit the area.

A spokesperson for the joint venture claimed that it removed the temporary works as “a precautionary step” between July 28 and August 5, and that the brook is now running freely.

They added: “Henry Construction – who are no longer on the project – carried out work at our Argenta House site. The local area is an area with known and longstanding issues with flooding.

“We are aware of the view that Henry’s temporary works to the nearby brook may have been a contributing factor, alongside exceptionally adverse weather, to the recent July floods.

“After taking back control of the site following Henry’s administration and having received notification from the Environment Agency that remedial works were needed, we removed the temporary work as a precautionary step.

“We can see the brook is now running freely and we continue to monitor the site.

“We remain in regular contact with key stakeholders including the council and the Environment Agency to support ongoing investigations in the wider area following the flooding.”

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “The blocked third-party culvert on the Wembley Brook that caused flooding following heavy rain last week has now been removed by the landowner.

“We are in continuing discussions with the landowner about further actions that should be taken to reduce the risk of flooding.”

The administrator for Henry Construction declined to comment.