Survey reveals scale of sewage flooding in Sussex

CPRE Sussex survey of Sussex parish and town councils reveals almost 8 in 10 suffer from diffuse sewage flooding.

Tankers removing sewage caused by collapsed sewer in Arun District

A survey of parish and town councils across Sussex has revealed the scale of issues being caused by sewage flooding.

Almost 8 in 10 (78%) of the 58 councils which responded to the CPRE Sussex survey said they suffer from diffuse sewage flooding in their area, impacting homes, roads, footpaths, green spaces and environmental waters.

Southern Water is reported as only taking action to prevent sewage flooding in 3 in 10 local council areas and only helping to clear it up in 1 in 4 local council areas. Other headline figures from the survey include:

• Diffuse sewage flooding, additional to the reported “spills” at designated storm sewage outflows, occurs weekly to monthly in 4 in 10 local councils.
• More than 1 in 10 councils suffer from widespread sewage flooding.
• More than 7 in 10 believe the sewers in their area are hydraulically overloaded.
• More than 7 in 10 are under development pressure.
• Almost 9 in 10 believe the sewers in their area will not cope with additional sewage.

CPRE Sussex director Paul Steedman said: “These are truly disgusting figures that show just how widespread sewage flooding is, going well beyond the story of licensed storm surge overflows. We’ve heard about sewage bubbling up in people’s homes and gardens – as if the pollution of our rivers and seas wasn’t already bad enough.”

The survey is part of a campaign by CPRE Sussex calling for sewerage infrastructure to be in place before new housing developments are allowed to proceed. This could be achieved by using pre-commencement conditions, also known as Grampian conditions.

Of the councils surveyed, 6 in 10 believe pre-commencement conditions could strengthen planning in their area. A further 3 in 10 opted for “don’t know”, suggesting further explanation and guidance is needed.

Mr Steedman said: “Our pipes increasingly cannot cope with what we’re already putting down them. The costs in filthy rivers, seas, homes and streets are all too clear. Simply building more and more homes and connecting them to the existing sewers is a recipe for disaster. We need a comprehensive upgrade to our sewer and water treatment systems before we put even more poo down them. Councils should make this a condition of new planning permissions, with backing from the government.”

CPRE Sussex has written to local planning authorities across Sussex to share the initial survey results. It has also asked planning officers a series of questions, including if there is scope to use pre-commencement conditions and if there is support for a 25-year sewerage and sewage treatment plan.

Find out more about the sewerage infrastructure campaign here.