Recent heavy rainfall in the village of Chilton has led to some residents fearing that they will once again face the problem of raw sewage contaminating local roads.
Residents say there has been repeated contamination of The Lane over recent months with heavy rain exacerbating the problem. One of the residents, Fred Dumbleton, spoke in the Oxford Mail, he said:
“Sewage has been overflowing in The Lane. It has been cleared several times in the past two weeks, but the contamination keeps coming back.”
The problem has also been reported to the Environment Agency, commented Mr Dumbleton, who continued:
“Unfortunately sewage is still coming out on the road surface where I walk my dog.
“People in the village would like this to be sorted out.”
Craig Rance, the spokesperson from Thames Water commented:
“While our sewer network in Chilton is working as it should, it is struggling with the sheer volume of water going through it after England’s wettest year on record.
“Heavy rainfall has overwhelmed rivers and streams, and in turn our sewerage system.
“The ground is already sodden, so water is running across the surface and into our sewers, which are designed to take wastewater from homes and businesses, not flood water too.”