Sewer systems fail in floods
As flood alerts were once again issued for the Lambourn Valley down to Newbury this week, some Lambourn residents said they were afraid to flush their toilets or drain their washing up water in the sink because it was causing sewage to back up into their homes.
Foul water has been running out of two manholes in Newbury Street for more than a week covering nearby grass and tarmac with effluent.
Resident Doreen Snook said: “Some residents are unable to use their toilets because it backs up into the property. No doubt much of this foul water is finding its way into the chalk stream that runs from Upper Lambourn through to Newbury.
“The Aintree Estate homes are also suffering from this problem, with the water level rising when flushing the domestic toilets.”
Thames Water has despatched tankers to remove foul water from the area but Barry Chilvers, who lives in Newbury Street, said: “There were two weeks when we didn’t see any at all. There aren’t enough tankers, it seems.”
At the village Universal Stores, Ros Couch had taken delivery of two huge bags of sand.
But as the Newbury Weekly News went to press he was still waiting for bags to be delivered so it could be deployed.
The Environment Agency issued a flood alert for the River Lambourn from Lambourn to the Shaw area in Newbury including Eastbury, East Garston, Welford, Easton, Boxford, Woodspeen, Bagnor, Donnington, Great Shefford on the Great Shefford Stream and Winterbourne on the Winterbourne Stream.
In Pangbourne, the River Thames has burst its banks with water spilling over onto Pangbourne Meadows near The Dolphin Centre.
At Colthrop Lane in Thatcham, the River Kennet spilled over into a communal back garden area and was inching closer to homes.
In Bagnor the River Lambourn has flooded surrounding marshland.
More rain is forecast today (Thursday) and the agency warned: “Water levels on the River Lambourn through Eastbury are currently high and the river has spilt into the floodplain in several locations in this area. The area remains sensitive to further rainfall.”
Thames Water spokeswoman Natalie Beckerman, the company's customer service director, said: “We are currently receiving a lot of reports from our customers about flooding and drainage problems caused by heavy recent rainfall overwhelming rivers and streams, and in turn our sewerage system in some areas.
“While our 109,000km network of sewers across London and the Thames Valley is operating largely as it should, it is struggling with the sheer volume of water going through it after one of the wettest years on record, where for December alone we are set to receive up to 200% of the average rainfall for the month.”
She added: “Ground, which is already sodden following our wettest-ever summer, is like a soaked sponge, so flood water is running across the surface and into our sewers, which are designed to take wastewater from homes and businesses, not rivers too.
“While the volume of calls we are getting from customers means our response times are likely to be slower than normal, we are trying our best to prioritise people most in need of help. We sympathise deeply with people affected by flooding, and we are doing everything we can to help where possible.”
* Who to contact for assistance:
Roadside gullies - if roadside gullies are blocked and water cannot enter them, contact your local council.
River flooding - contact the Environment Agency on their 24-hour Floodline 0845 988 118.
Sandbags - if a property is in danger of flooding contact the local council for sand bags.
