Fears ‘raw sewage’ is flowing into the rife in Eastergate

Richard Blott, of Eastergate Lane, said he was walking his dog on the fields south of Eastergate Primary School on Friday when he saw a ‘considerable discharge’ from a sewer cover.

He said: “A large amount of water, which appeared to be contaminated with raw sewage, was discharging into the surrounding field and rife immediately adjacent to the planned BEW development.”

Mr Blott said the incident was ‘yet more evidence’ that the sewage system for the area was ‘inadequate and incapable of supporting the many large planned developments in the area’.

“I think there’s a lot of concern about the ability of the sewage system in the area,” he said.

Southern Water confirmed it was aware of the situation and was currently investigating.

A spokesman said: “Our initial investigations indicate this is due to groundwater infiltration into our sewer lines.

“This is a problem that can affect wastewater networks when groundwater reaches very high levels.

“The heavy rainfall experienced since the end of last year is causing challenges to us in a number of areas.

“No pollution is acceptable to us or our customers and we invest heavily to improve the resilience of our systems.”

Mr Blott said he walked his dog in the field there a dozen times a month or so and said: “It’s certainly the worst I’ve ever seen it.”

He added: “This is more than a local problem because discharges of raw sewage will be rapidly carried by the rife down to Felpham and Bognor Regis.”

Mr Blott suggested that the development policies in the Arun Local Area Plan should be updated in order to reflect climate change.

A spokesman for Arun District Council said: “During the making of the Arun Local Plan, which identifies strategic allocations for residential and other development, Southern Water and all relevant organisations were consulted.

“In planning for any new large scale development it will be necessary for the developers to demonstrate that the foul water drainage systems proposed are sufficient to cope with the proposed loads. 

“Further consultation with the relevant organisations will be undertaken when planning applications are submitted.”

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