Residents of a lane in Gobowen plagued by overrunning sewage water every time it rains haver told provider Severn Trent – enough is enough.
Heavy rains again last weekend was enough to see overflowing dirty water containing sewage in Fernhill Lane, with residents yet again having to clean their footwear and car tyres to make them safe, while families on their way to school have had to pass through it too.
David Evison lives opposite the offending drain and he wants Severn Trent to come good on their vow to replace the sewage pipes that run underneath the road.
He says they have been offering too many short-term fixes where a long-term solution is needed and added that they have been ‘all words and no action’.
“Severn Trent were looking to bypass the pipe that across the manhole (in the road) and they were going to put in a new pipe directly down the lane,” he said.
“They were going to cut out the pipe in May and June – it’s now the end of May and we’re asking ‘where are they’?
“For definite, we have reached the point of ‘we’ve had enough’.
“We’d had enough in 2015 to be honest and there are people worse affected by it – we’ve all had enough of it, and some of them won’t even allow Severn Trent on their property.
“If they did it right, they wouldn’t have to keep coming back to people’s properties – they’d have finished it and better spent their resources elsewhere and do other jobs.
“But as it is they have to keep coming back here.”
Mr Evison added that he personally has tried to engage with Severn Trent’s message of avoiding filling sewers with unflushable items, distributing leaflets in his shop on a nearby estate.
But he firmly believes that the water provider has not supported the co-operation by getting the works done.
He added: “We were prepared to have leaflets in the shop that warned people not to dispose of these items and we gave them out to people to educate them.
“So we have played their game but in reality, we don’t feel like that has been reciprocated and it’s their blasé attitude – it’s all words and no action.
“Another concerning part for me is that we’re towards the end of May now and they’ve said it’s May-June to do this job, but they said they also had to apply for funding to do this job.
“If this doesn’t get done in May and June, for how long is this funding available to them and what’s the consequences of that funding not being available to them?”
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Severn Trent said: “We’re really sorry to anyone for any inconvenience following the blockage on Fernhill Lane over the weekend.
“We’re pleased to say that our teams have cleared the blockage and ensured that the pipe is clear, and everything is flowing as normal.
“We know that there’s been problems in this area in the past, so to help prevent any future issues, we’re planning to start a scheme in the area that will see parts of the network upgraded that will see some pipes made bigger, making sure the network is in the best possible condition and able to hold more waste water.
“As well as this, we will also continue with our community engagement work, where we always encourage our customers to do their bit in preventing blockages by not putting anything into the sewer system that shouldn’t.”