'Sewage spills onto my street and nothing is done'

People living in a Lincolnshire village say they feel humiliated, frustrated and angry after seeing drains repeatedly overflow with raw sewage.

Residents of Scothern Lane, in Langworth near Lincoln, said heavy rain often caused water to rise from drains and spewed dirty water near their homes.

Fiona Taylor said she cannot rest and was "always in panic mode" waiting for it to happen.

The BBC has approached Anglian Water for comment.

Taylor, 56, who has lived on the road for 25 years, said the most recent incident started on 28 February.

After she received a flood alert from the Environment Agency, Taylor said the water gradually began to rise from the drains and onto the road.

Taylor said she rang Anglian Water for help and was told someone would be there within four hours.

"Then we got told that somebody would be out next week," Taylor said.

"By this time our toilets had stopped working."

Local fire crews later attended the lane and pumped water away.

Taylor said the water from the overflowing drains included raw sewage.

"We have had floating bits in the past," she added.

Taylor said she believed Anglian Water should have sent a tanker to drain the dirty water away from their home during the incident.

"I'd just like some of these people in high places that stop these tankers coming to come and live without a toilet for 48 hours and see how they get on," she said.

"It's horrible, it's humiliating and it's not nice."

Barry Warrener, 70, who lives across the road, said the water from the drains spilled down into his drive and sometimes into his property.

"Everybody just ignores us," he said.

"We're just a group of houses that nobody's bothered about."

Warrener, who moved to the road in 2001, said he was often concerned about the drainage and possibility of flooding.

"It's a constant worry and it is so stressful," he said.

Warrener said the drainage on the road caused a "health issue" and was just part of a wider cycle of water problems in the area.

"The drains are not fit for purpose," he said.

According to Warrener, Scothern Lane previously suffered major flooding in 2007 and 2023.

He added: "The river authorities need to look at why the water isn't going away."

Councillor Mike Herbert, chairman of Langworth Group Parish Council, said he had persistently asked questions to relevant authorities but "nothing ever happens".

"We keep getting fobbed off," he said.

Herbert said part of the issue was down to "inadequate" storm tanks fitted by Anglian Water near Scothern Lane in 2014. He said he had informed the water firm years ago but "no progress had been made".

He said the various authorities needed to come together to come up with a solution to manage drainage and flooding issues.

"We're having to do all the chasing, we keep asking the questions," Herbert said.

"Nobody's actually coming up with any solutions or any answers and everybody knows what the problem is."

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: "We know the devastating impact that flooding can have, which is why protecting people and communities is our top priority.

"We will continue to work with Lincolnshire County Council and Anglian Water as they manage this issue."

Matt Harrison, flood and water manager at the council, said: "Flooding typically occurs during periods of intense or prolonged rainfall, when infrastructure becomes overwhelmed.

"In Langworth, the proximity of a watercourse further increases vulnerability. However, it is important to stress that no organisation 'blames' another.

"All partners understand the constraints involved, and we recognise that there is no single, simple solution to the challenges faced," he added.

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