News Release:
County councillor slams Severn Trent over flooding.
A six-month investigation by Severn Trent into sewer flooding in Orleton has been
condemned as “utterly inadequate” by Bircher Ward Councillor, Dan Hurcomb. The
flooding, which affects King’s Road, an area near Orleton Primary School and the
recently completed Captain’s Meadow development, also contaminates Brimfield
Brook with raw sewage.
Dan Hurcomb added, “This is a slow-motion environmental catastrophe which has
been ongoing for a number of years now and, after five serious incidents between
October 2023 and February 2024, still seems to have no prospect of coming to an end.
The pollution of the road around the school, the brook and the effect on local residents
is significant and I shall do all I can to press Severn Trent for an effective response.”
Parish council chairman, David Lane, himself a former senior sewer flooding
investigator at the regulator Ofwat, added, “This complaint was launched in April 2024.
Since then, we have received no written response setting out the steps it is taking to
investigate this problem and secured only one brief meeting. Severn Trent has ignored
multiple requests for information and claim the issue stems from infiltration into the
sewer system. In our analysis this is simply implausible; the regular and sustained
flooding of the King’s Road during prolonged rain can only result from direct surface
water connections into the former ‘foul-only’ system which Severn Trent not only know
about, but in many cases has approved”.
The most recent pollution incidents occurred around the 30th September, and on the
16th October, following prolonged rainfall and resulted in tankers being called to the site
of the local pumping station, but not before a significant volume of sewage had entered
the brook.
Orleton Parish Council has now written to Severn Trent putting them on notice of their
intention to refer the matter to the Environment Agency and the water regulator OFWAT.
18th October 2024
Note: This statement has been approved and circulated by Orleton Parish Council and
Cllr Dan Hurcomb. For further information please contact the Clerk to Orleton Parish
Council, Amber Littleworth, on 07887 442518, or Cllr David Lane (Land Drainage Lead)
on 01568 780925, (mob:07512 681327). Cllr Dan Hurcomb can be contacted on 07837
726821