Dumped suitcases caused River Calder sewage leak

Four suitcases dumped into a sewer in West Yorkshire caused sewage to flood into the River Calder.

The luggage was found blocking a drain in Engine Lane, Horbury, on Wednesday and caused wastewater to back up and spill out via an overflow.

Yorkshire Water said it took three hours to remove the items and return the sewer to normal.

The firm said: "It is vital people do not use the sewer network as a way of getting rid of unwanted items."

Miles Cameron, head of customer field services at Yorkshire Water, added: "We believe a cover was removed to allow these items to be disposed of into the sewer.

"Unfortunately, they caused a significant blockage within the network, which led to wastewater being discharged into the River Calder.

"Thankfully our teams responded quickly to alerts that indicated a problem with the overflows and were able to remove the items and return the network to full working order, stopping the discharge to the river."

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