Lydd: Sewage floods homes after heavy rain

Residents in a Kent town say their homes and gardens are being flooded with sewage after heavy rainfall inundated local drains.

People living on Copperfields in Lydd say sewage overflows into their homes if they use toilets or washing machines.

Temporary communal toilets and showers have been placed on the road.

Southern Water said it was working to resolve the problem "as soon as possible".

Mike Taylor, who lives in Copperfields, says the issue has been going on for about four weeks, but drainage issues in the area go back a decade.

He said: "We can't live like this, the smell is awful and we're having to wash our clothes by hand and tip water into the garden.

"It's been horrible for us. We can't use our toilets and the ground under our house is sinking."

Lydd Town Councillor Kim Rye said she is "desperate" after numerous residents had contacted her about the problems.

She said: "I'm trying to get people to give me answers but nobody can give me any hope to give to these people."

In a statement, Southern Water said: "Due to the consistent heavy rainfall, the ground in the Copperfields area of Lydd has become saturated and the local drains and sewers inundated with surface water run-off.

"This is putting significant pressure on our local wastewater pumping station.

"While our nearby Derings site is working as it should, it has struggled to keep up with demand.

"That is why specialist teams and six 4,000 gallon tankers have been in the area since Monday 30 October to support the removal of flows and ease pressure on the network."

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