Sewage problem strikes again in Shropshire village
Sewage has been running down a residential road again with locals angry that a permanent solution to the problem has still not been found.
Fernhill Lane, next to the playing field in Gobowen, near Oswestry, has been plagued with sewage emerging from a manhole for more than a decade.
At the weekend the heavy rain is thought to have led to a blockage which left sewage running on the lane and onto householder's paths.
But those living on the road say it is time that Severn Trent carried out major improvements.
The water company says that it is planning to start a scheme to upgrade parts of the network in the village, making the pipes larger.
Residents vented their anger on Facebook.
Dave Evison said he believed the flooding occurred after a spell of heavy rain.
"Maps show that this is a combined system, sometimes known as a combined storm overflow," he said.
He said at the weekend it took more than 24 hours for Severn Trent to respond to the report of the leak. Engineers eventually left at 10pm on Sunday.
"The lane was left in a dreadful mess."
Phil Crowe who also lives in the lane, said the problems had been happening over many years.
"The manhole used to be on someone's property and when there was a problem the sewerage would run down her garden. Then it was moved to the road, so when it pops it floods the road with sewerage.
"Because it is close to the playing fields it runs down into the brook."
A Severn Trent spokesman 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, such as sanitary products and fats and oils, and binning them instead, as sewer misuse is a big contributor to the cause of blockages in the area.”
