Anglian
Water blames people pouring fat down kitchen sinks for sewage
flood
RESIDENTS have been left seething after being swamped with sewage
in their own street for nearly an entire day.
Blocked drains and torrential downpours on Thursday night caused
drain lids to come loose at around 9pm in Balfour Road and Arthur
Street in Kingsthorpe Hollow, spreading sewage across the pavements.
But residents who said they contacted Anglian Water the same
evening were disappointed to find the situation was not resolved
until yesterday afternoon.
Residents were forced to put up with the smell, flooded roads
and courtyards until around 2pm.
Graham Galloway, aged 66, the chairman of the local Neighbourhood
Watch scheme, said: “I understand that these things happen
when there is sudden heavy rain but we would have appreciated
a quicker clear-up. It was shocking.
“There is a lot of sheltered housing in this area and the
residents were left quite concerned.
“Apart from how the awful smell and inconvenience, it is
a health concern.
“It was an awful scene with disgusting sewage spread all
over the pavements.
“We’ve never had a situation like this here before.”
Mr Galloway waited throughout the night for Anglian Water and
directed people away from the affected area.
John Clare, from Anglian Water, said the firm became aware of
the problem on Friday morning. It was caused by cooking fat being
tipped into the sewer, clogging up an old odour trap in the sewer
and causing a blockage.
In addition to the flooding a number of manhole covers were displaced
on Thursday night after heavy rain caused a surge of water through
the sewer.
He added: “As a result, sewage backed up through a manhole
and partly flooded three gardens.
“We were able to use a water jet to clear the blockage
and the pipes were running freely again by Friday.
“Our technicians have spoken to the customers affected
and we will be returning to the site today to clean up their gardens.
“We are very sorry for any distress caused by the flooding,
which sadly is an example of what can happen when fats, oils and
grease are poured down plugholes.”
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