I've now received a comprehensive update from Thames Water about the sewage flooding on Chipstead Valley Road:
Dear Councillor Creatura
Thank you for your emails of 4 February and 14 March in relation to concerns about sewer flooding on Chipstead Valley Road. Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in responding to you and I trust you’ll find the below information helpful.
Firstly, I’d like to apologise for the difficult situation that residents and pedestrians faced during this time, as well as passing motorists. I understand the situation had an impact on the road and footpath near the local school and I recognise the effects of this on the community and environment. I’d like to assure you we take these matters very seriously and as soon as any operational issues are reported to us, we’ll arrange for a full investigation to take place and arrange for any further work to take place, as required.
What we found
Following the recent storms at the end of January, we’ve found different areas in the road have been affected by wastewater flooding. On 28 January we received a report of wastewater flooding from the footpath and across the road from both ends of the road. Our engineers attended that afternoon and on arrival they found a team already working in the area following a report of internal flooding from a nearby resident. A specialised vehicle equipped with a suction hose was pumping out from a manhole chamber (MC) and we discovered a blockage of paper and rag, causing an obstruction in the sewer.
After clearing the blockage and alleviating the flooding, all of the areas affected were washed down and disinfected. At the time it was raining, but as soon as the rain subsided we were able to proceed with a more thorough clean and sanitisation of both the road and footpath. In addition, the case was referred for further review to determine whether any additional work was required.
On 1 February we returned to the area closer to the Midday Sun Pub, where a separate incident had been reported. No signs of pollution were found; however, we were able to see the MC near to the pub on the grass verge had previously been overflowing. We jetted upstream and downstream and cleared a blockage of fat and grease.
On 4 February we received a report of flooding in Chipstead Valley Road and again our engineers attended to pump down the sewer and clean up pending further investigation.
A further incident was reported to us on 12 March regarding the strong smell of sewage in the area, as you’ve mentioned. When we attended on 13 March, we found evidence of flooding in the road. This was caused by a blockage of fat and grease and after jetting we cleared the blockage.
Our next Steps:
In view of our findings, as mentioned above, and as a precaution, we’ll be arranging for copies of our educational “Bin It Don’t Block It” leaflets to be delivered to residents. These leaflets highlight and explain what items should and shouldn’t be placed into our sewers. Residents should receive these leaflets by mid-April. As you’ll appreciate preventing the disposal of inappropriate items, such as fat, oil and grease in our sewers is difficult, as we’re unable predict when or where this may happen.
As a precautionary measure, we’re also planning to carry out a clean and camera survey of our foul water sewer. This is to ensure there are no further issues, which could be contributing to the sewer flooding. The safety of our engineers and local residents is of the utmost importance to us and we’re currently considering our traffic management requirements to be able to conduct this work safely. Please be assured, I’ll closely monitor the situation to ensure this work is carried out as swiftly as possible. I’ll keep you fully updated on our progress and I’ll let you know once we have a start date.
I trust you’ve found this information helpful and I’ve been able to demonstrate we’re taken this matter seriously. I’ve asked a Senior case manager to monitor the progress of this case and she will contact you again no later than 19 April.
Photo by Frank Albrecht on Unsplash
