Health fears over ‘disgusting’ blocked drain

In wet weather when cars, buses and lorries drive over the drain that sits beneath the railway bridge in Princes Drive, the overspill coming out of it has been splashing on to passers-by for around three months due to a problem with its piping.

Richard Winn, who lives in Portobello Way and cycles to work along that road every day, said: “I am having to ride through human sewage. Everyone who walks past is getting soaked.

“It stinks and it’s absolutely disgusting. It makes you feel sick when you walk past it.

“I reported it more than six weeks ago and all the action taken is that ‘flood’ signs have been put up. Not only is it disgusting, but it’s also dangerous because you have to swerve to avoid it.”

The local authority responsible for road issues in Leamington is Warwickshire County Council. A council spokeswoman said: “Our highways department is aware of the problem with the overflow on Princes Drive which is caused by a blockage in the highway drain at the Severn Trent connection.

“We have blasted the connecting gullies but this has not fixed the issue so we are waiting for Severn Trent to take further action.”

Severn Trent recently completed the Princes Drive section of its £7.8 million work on upgrading the sewers around Leamington.

Earlier this week a spokeswoman for the company told the Courier that she was unaware of any reports of a problem on the road, but the firm has since made plans for representatives to meet county council workers to discuss the issue.

The meeting was due to take place yesterday (Thursday), after the Courier went to print.

The spokeswoman said: “Severn Trent Water and Warwickshire County Council will be meeting on Thursday to address concerns around flooding on Princes Drive in Leamington.

“County council engineers attended the site following reports of water running out from a storm drain. They jetted clear the gullies connecting to the mains pipe, but it appears that the issue is ongoing.

“Following reports to Severn Trent Water, the two organisations are working hard to resolve the problem as quickly as possible and apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

The company’s project to upgrade Leamington’s sewers, which began in October 2010 and is due to be complete in March next year, has been operating in sections across the town and work is currently taking place in the Parade and Newbold Terrace.

The idea is to provide greater capacity and help alleviate the risk of sewer flooding. To find out more, go online.