Barrington Police responded to the Ledge Road/Highview Avenue neighborhood last week, after residents complained about neighbors who were pumping water onto the street. 

Once officers arrived at the scene they quickly discovered a large icy stretch of roadway. Police said the ice looked like a hockey rink in the street. 

It appeared that a few homes on Highview Avenue were pumping water out of their basements and onto the road, which is a town ordinance violation, said Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha.

"You cannot pump into the street because it presents a problem," said Mr. Cunha. "There were streets that were literally an ice rink."

Mr. Cunha said there are a handful of trouble spots in town, including the Walker Farm Lane neighborhood. Mr. Cunha said he understands that some residents may need to use sump pumps to keep their basements dry, but water should be pumped onto lawns and not the road. The manager said residents could also pump into nearby storm drains, if they were available.

Town ordinance 91-1 states that it is prohibited that "any water shall be pumped or allowed to permanently drain in any manner whatsoever, directly or indirectly, onto the Town highways in the Town of Barrington from any source except when permission is given by the Town Council or its designated representative in cases of emergency or special temporary cases."