Foul-smelling leak in Warwick town centre fixed after months of concerns and complaints

The water had been leaking into High Street near the junctions of Church Street and Castle Street for months and residents had been regularly raising the issue with Warwickshire County Council and Severn Trent.

In May, some residents also contacted The Courier and Weekly News after the issue became drawn out – with no one seeming to take responsibility for the issue.

Matt Western, the MP for Warwick and Leamington, had also been chasing up the leak.

In early May, Warwickshire County Council said that investigations “confirmed that the source of the leakage is not from Severn Trent Water’s network” but despite that it was going to “work collaboratively towards a resolution”.

Following this, complaints were continually made about the leak and the smell – particularly during hot weather – on social media, to The Courier and Weekly News andto the council and Severn Trent.

The leak also remained when Warwick hosted hundreds of soldiers, cadets and veterans from The Queen’s Royal Hussars when they paraded through the town after receiving the Freedom of Warwick.

On the day, crowds had gathered and the leaders of the parade had to make adjustments to how the march entered High Street from Castle Street to avoid the foul-smelling water.

HRH Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh, who is Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen's Royal Hussars, was also present for the event. He arrived ahead of the parade and greeted many members of the public and representatives from the town, who were in High Street and Jury Street near the leak.

However, at the start of July the situation progressed with work starting.

Earlier this month, a spokesperson for Warwickshire County Council said: ​”Warwickshire County Council (WCC) and Severn Trent Water (STW) have been working collaboratively to address the ongoing water issue on High Street in Warwick.

“We recognise that this has been highly frustrating for residents, local businesses, and road users, and we sincerely thank everyone for their continued patience. Due to the complex drainage arrangements in the area, this has been a difficult situation to resolve.

“Rather than continuing investigations indefinitely, WCC, STW, and Warwick District Council met on-site on July 3 and have agreed to move forward with a practical engineering solution to manage the issue and minimise any further nuisance to the public.”

Explaining how the leak would be fixed, the spokesperson said: “​To prevent the water from reaching the road surface, STW is currently installing a new underground catchpit that will safely intercept and collect the water before it causes disruption.

“This new infrastructure will then be emptied and maintained on a regular basis.”

On July 13, the spokesperson said work was still progressing.

They said: “STW undertook remedial action to fix the problem that was causing the smell. We'd initially warned local businesses and residents that we'd have to fully close the road.

“We're happy to say that STW came up with an engineering solution that would fix the problem without changing the existing two way lights arrangement and were hoping to complete this by the end of the week.”

In the latest update provided by Severn Trent last week, a spokesperson added: “We are continuing to support the local council in resolving the flooding on the High Street, and while there’s no link to the Severn Trent network, we’re working collaboratively to help stop the issues for everyone.

“Our work is progressing well to install an underground tank that will be regularly maintained by the council, that will capture surface water and reduce the risk of flooding on the High Street. We’re hopeful to have this completed by the end of this week Friday July 17.”

By July 15, the work had been completed and the area around the drain resurfaced.

Speaking about the leak and the work, Mr Western said: “Since March of this year, I have heard from local residents and businesses about drainage issues that had returned to the High Street in Warwick. Since then, I have been chasing Severn Trent Water and Warwickshire County Council to take action and find a lasting solution.

“It is unacceptable that sewage has been running through the streets of our much-loved, award-winning county town.

“Unfortunately, this is not the first time drainage overflows have affected this part of Warwick. This time round, I know that town centre events have been affected and local businesses have been disrupted by the foul smell of sewage.

“Resolving the issue has taken far longer than it should have, and I have shared the frustration felt by residents and business owners throughout the process.

“I am happy to see the problem has now been fixed thanks to the work of Severn Trent Water and the efforts of local councillors who continued to push for action.

“Whilst it was disappointing that remedial work took so long to be carried out, I am thankful that action has finally been taken.

“I understand that the fix will require continued monitoring by Warwickshire County Council, so I will continue to work with the relevant parties to ensure that this sewage problem does not return.”