Anger over sewage on road

A KESGRAVE resident plagued by problems from a pumping station today spoke of his disgust after the latest overflow of sewage.

Dobbs Lane was left flooded on Saturday morning after diluted waste spilled on to the road from the Anglian Water premises next to the woods.

Julian Evans, who lives nearby, said: “For the past year the site has been plagued with problems of the most disgusting nature. The problem, quite simply, is that there is too much waste going through the pumping station and it can not cope.”

Mr Evans added that he had been told the premises were built more than 30 years ago. It now sends the sewage to Cliff Quay in Ipswich rather than to Woodbridge where it was originally designed to pump it to.

However, he said: “There is too much and it backs up and the stench is unbelievable. It is almost a weekly occurrence to see the road flooded with effluent pouring onto the road, into the woods and the ditches. It is disgusting.”

Anglia Water have been working constantly to rectify the situation, but Mr Evans said residents are dissatisfied with the company's efforts, which he claimed had created further inconvenience for around 30 homes.

He said: “Anglian Water have visited and spoken to us, but we feel it is clear that there immediate plans are not sufficient and we need more action now.

“I am disgusted with what appears to me to be the lack of urgency and efficiency shown in finding a resolution to this problem.”

Sara Rowland spokeswoman for Anglian Water apologised to residents if they had been affected by Saturday's overflow, which occurred around 11.30am.

She said: “We had pumping problems as it had been raining. What occurred was an overflow of diluted sewage went on to the road and into a ditch.

“Emergency clean-up crews pumped out the ditch and removed all visible evidence. It looks like there was relatively minor environmental impact.”

Although no referring specifically to the Dobbs Lane incident Anglian Water said it had seen a rapid increase in the number of items flushed down toilets which should not have been, such as disinfectant wipes. The company reminded residents that any disposable items should be put in a bin.