Relentless rain flooded a community, causing sewage safety fears and traffic diversions for days.
Residents said the floods overloaded the sewers, forcing sewage out onto lawns, pavements and the road. Toilets backed up and wouldn’t flush properly.
Dismayed families watched as defiant drivers ignored the road closed signs and surged through the deep water. The floodwater waves crashed down inches from some front doors.
The closure signs went up on a stretch of the A321 Wokingham to Twyford road at Hurst at the weekend and were still there yesterday..
The road, here fittingly called Broadwater Lane, was flooded badly just a year ago.
Wokingham Borough councillor Wayne Smith was out in the sodden village at the weekend, organising sandbags and liaising with Thames Water. The water was over the top of his wellies.
“I saw the foul waste flowing round the side of one house. It is sewage – you can see the toilet paper in it. It’s a health hazard,” he said. Children would normally play in a back garden now flooded with foul water.
He has contacted area MP, Theresa May, about the problems. Cllr Smith and Wokingham Borough’s lead environment councillor Parry Batth have urged Thames Water’s chief executive for a solution.
On Monday Cllr Smith said: “People in places including Tape Lane and Lodge Road are having problems flushing their toilets.
“Thames Water have a statutory obligation to tank out (empty) the waste from manholes if toilets won’t flush. But instead residents were told to wait for the levels to go down.
“We believe some of the (Thames Water) pumping stations in the area are too low in the ground, so when there’s lots of surface water it gets in and the pump can’t cope with that and the foul water.”
The pumping stations should be completely watertight.
Resident Matt Brown whose home is close to the road said: “We’re OK, the water hasn’t quite been through the front door.
“But people driving through seem to think it’s a bit of a laugh. Wayne (Councillor Smith) has worked tirelessly to help, including getting sandbags very quickly.”
Cllr Smith added: “I’d appeal to people not to drive along here while the road is closed.”
Villager Mark Wilkin fears this second year of flooding may force a move from his Grade II listed home, in his family for 100 years.
He said a “delightful cocktail” of rainwater and sewage now flooded his front lawn.
He was concerned about the safety of untreated sewage. He claimed that new houses going up near him and houses being proposed for opposite his home would remove natural drainage land.
Councillor Batth said: “The council was alerted to the flooding over the weekend. We sent our highways contractors to close the road and an officer to speak with residents. The flooding was caused by the river bursting its banks and backing up through the drainage system, which caused localised flooding. The Thames Water sewage system became inundated with floodwater, which then caused sewage to back up in the area.
“Thames Water are responsible for the sewage system. We are liaising with Thames Water to ensure they take action to repair the damage done in this instance, but also to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We understand sewer flooding is unpleasant and disruptive and we sympathise with everyone affected by flooding caused by the recent heavy rainfall.
“We’re working hard to support any customers affected by sewer flooding, and we’re sorry this is taking longer than normal due to a higher than usual workload. The sheer amount of rainfall over the weekend means our sewers are carrying far more wastewater than they have capacity for and the system is full.
“Heavy rainfall can also cause groundwater levels to be higher than normal and this can increase the chance of excess water entering our network either through surface water drains or through infiltration.
“The village of Hurst has been particularly badly affected by rising groundwater levels, which as well as flooding fields and roads has overflowed into the sewer network. Once the levels subside we’ll attend to clear up any sewage.”
