March sewage leaks 'been a problem for 20 years'

An issue with sewage spewing out of a manhole cover during heavy rain has been going on for at least 20 years, according to a resident.

Hazel Harwin said she had witnessed "soiled loo paper flowing into the dykes" near her house on Barkers Lane in March, Cambridgeshire.

A local councillor called it a "health hazard" and demanded an urgent fix.

Anglian Water said it shared residents' frustrations, with flooding being an "extremely complex issue".

Ms Harwin, 59, said: "I have lived in Barkers Lane for over 30 years and this has been a problem for at least 20.

"My dog was ill - the vet thought it was a bug from waste water contamination. They mentioned several other dogs in the area had the same issue.

"When the rain is really heavy, I even have sewage coming out of my kitchen waste drain - it covers my driveway and garden.

"An Anglian Water engineer told me the pumping stations can't cope with unprecedented rainfall."

Ms Harwin has documented the spills a number of times on the town's Facebook group, which show water pouring out of the drain and down rural Barkers Lane, close to the town's academy school.

An application for hundreds of homes has recently been submitted on land south of Barkers Lane.

A spill earlier this month saw sandbags placed around the manhole cover by engineers, to try and contain the water.

David Connor, a Fenland District and county councillor, said: "I have spoken to Anglian Water and they told me this will be investigated. It's absolutely imperative to get this sorted out, it's a health hazard and a priority job."

A spokesperson for Anglian Water said: "We are aware of the issue with the manhole in Barkers Lane and share the frustration that this occurs when extreme rainfall happens.

"Flooding is often an extremely complex issue with many different owners for the drainage network such as highways, local councils and even private owners, as well as ourselves.

"We have attended promptly during recent extreme rain events and are now working on both long and short term solutions for this situation."

The Environment Agency said it had not been notified about the latest overflow out of the drain by Anglian Water or any residents.

"Anglian Water should self-report as an incident, any event which may have an environmental and/or operational impact on the Environment Agency," it said.

"If members of the public do see any pollution to a watercourse or to land, then they should phone our 24/7 incident hotline.

"In the last 21 years, the Environment Agency is aware of two substantiated incidents at this location regarding sewage.

"When we have ongoing issues and receive a large number of reports about a particular location, we will hold regular discussions with Anglian Water about them. Due to the low numbers of reports associated with it, this location is not one of them."

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