St Leonards: Major sewage leak affects businesses in Bulverhythe area

The flooding has affected industrial units in the Bridgeway Industrial Estate.

Stephen Knight, who is the freeholder of some of the land where several businesses in the area area are located, said the incident started around 8.50am today.

He said sewage was now running into some of the industrial units.

He added: “It’s madness. We have got high tide at 1pm and a storm gathering tonight as well. One of the operatives said around 500 litres of water is being pumped out per second. You are going to have homes flooded very shortly.”

In a similar incident, a burst sewer affected the Bulverhythe area of St Leonards earlier this month, causing a major leak.

More than 40 tankers were sent to the area, together with hydraulic pumps as a clean-up operation got under way on October 1. Tankers also arrived at the Old Bathing Pool site the following day.

The latest incident comes following the major sewage leak that affected Bulverhythe in February this year.

Almost 20 homes were affected after the leak affected Bulverhythe Road early on February 3. A pavement also collapsed. Engineers from Southern Water then closed off the road and footpaths.

Southern Water said the burst on October 1 was discovered while the company was carrying out major works in the Bulverhythe area, which the company said are an attempt to stop the main pipe from bursting, which runs from Bulverhythe Tower to Cinque Ports Way.

This pipe has suffered several bursts since 2016, Southern Water said.

Southern Water said it is planning to put flows into another sewer, which it said will reduce the risk of further bursts and flooding with the main sewer.

A spokesperson said: “Over the past few months, we’ve been looking to find a solution to the ongoing problems with the main sewer, which runs from Bulverhythe Tower to Cinque Ports Way. We’re therefore planning to put flows into another sewer, which will reduce the risk of further bursts and flooding. This is a complicated project where we will be working in several locations at once.”

In response to today's incident, the spokesperson said: “Our teams are tackling a burst sewer in the Bulverhythe area of St Leonards, in a field next to Amsterdam Way.

“We’re working hard to resolve the issue, and a fleet of tankers will be used to manage the flows of wastewater while the pipe is repaired. This will require traffic management in the area, which is currently being put in place.

“Our customer team are also in the area speaking with people who may be impacted.”