Sewage Overflowing into Burpham Gardens – Thames Water On The Case

Published on: 3 Aug, 2017
Updated on: 3 Aug, 2017

Residents in Burpham have been enduring effluent from a blocked sewer overflowing into their gardens for four days. It is suspected the cause is a collaped steel shutter plate. If so, quick repair will be difficult.

Thames Water say a repair is being planned and should start in the next few days.

But for the time being, despite continuous “excellent” efforts of a work crew, sub-contracted by Thames Water, the sewer remains blocked. Tankers are sucking sewage from drains to try and prevent further overflows. In the past three days it is estimated that 28,000 litres of sewage has been removed.

One of the blocked sewer manholes in Burpham.

Resident Jim Allen, who has been witnessing the work, said: “In 2013, on Christmas Day, the sewers of Burpham overflowed into the gardens in Bowers Lane. It is came from the main pipe which take all of Burpham’s and Merrow’s sewage to the Moorfields water treatment station.

“Then on Sunday (August 28) the gardens were flooded again and an excellent Thames Water team arrived to investigate. They lifted the manholes sequentially from Bowers Mill down stream to Bowers Lane then across the allotments to the river.

“They discovered that brambles six feet high covered the next man hole in Burpham Court Farm, so they tried cleaning it from over 400 metres upstream toward the allotments – but no luck. Then they tried from 100 metres downstream from Bowers Lane but still no luck. ”

“So it has been blocked now for four days since discovery but the problem remains.”

“What concerns me is the intention is to put at least half the houses proposed on Gosden Hill onto this sewer pipe. It is already at hydraulic capacity.”

“Although there is a plan to relocate the treatment morks it will be a further mile away and two metres higher. I am not sure it is appreciated that this is a gravity fed system.”

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “The issue is that there is a collapsed sewer. The repair work, which will involve digging down to uncover the buried pipe, is being planned and should start in the next few days. In the meantime the tankers will continue to pump sewage out of the system to stop pollution to the environment and flooding to properties.

“With regards to future development, we work closely with the council and developers to understand its potential impact on our network. We ensure that, where upgrades to our infrastructure are required, the necessary work is carried out in advance.”