St Leonards: More than 20 homes flooded following sewage leak

Southern Water said two properties were flooded internally and 22 houses suffered external flooding after the incident happened last Wednesday (October 18).

More than 30 tankers were also sent to the scene as part of a major clean-up operation in the Bulverhythe area.

The incident happened just before 9am last Wednesday when a sewer burst in a field next to Amsterdam Way.

The subsequent flooding 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 and added sewage started running into some of the industrial units.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said: “Our teams worked around the clock to repair a burst sewer near Amsterdam Way in Bulverhythe, St Leonards.

“This was a significant burst which required a fleet of more than 30 tankers and overland pumps to help mitigate the flooding and manage wastewater flows.

“We’re sorry for the distress and disruption this caused customers and businesses in the area, especially those that have been affected by flooding. We will remain in the area until properties impacted internally and externally have been cleaned-up.

“We recognise that this is not the first time this has happened and to prevent bursts like this there needs to be a long-term solution. This is why we’re spending £5m on replacing this sewer to improve our resilience in the area.”

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.

A major sewage leak also 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.”