Cleanup starts as Swindon sewer bursts for fourth time

Raw sewage has been flowing into the River Ray after a sewer burst.

Thames Water deployed 30 tankers to pump sewage away following the leak in Swindon at the Haydon End Sewer Pumping Station on Wednesday evening.

It said the tanks were working "round the clock" to preventing flooding to nearby homes and businesses and to mitigate the environmental impact.

It accepted some of the waste had ended up in the River Ray and said it was monitoring water quality.

A spokeswoman for the company said: "Unfortunately, some of the flow has entered the nearby River Ray, but our tankers are helping to reduce these flows.

"We've notified the Environment Agency and have been working alongside them to take water samples and monitor the impact on the river.

"We've also taken steps to help the river recover, including increasing oxygen levels in the river to protect wildlife."

The tankers are stationed around the Tawny Owl pub, and nearby land has been closed to traffic to ensure the vehicles have access.

Thames Water said work would soon begin to repair the damaged section of the sewer.

The firm said: "We'd like to assure customers they will be able to use water and flush toilets as normal during this time, and to offer our apologies for any disruption caused by the tankers over the coming days."

Thames Water was forced to deploy tankers to the Haydon End Sewer Pumping Station in November following a similar leak that again resulted in pollution to nearby waterways.

The sewer previously burst in April 2021, August 2022 and again in November 2022.

Vinay Manro, councillor for Priory Vale on Swindon Borough Council, said: "This has happened a few times now, it's causing a lot of disruption to residents."

He said he was concerned the burst pipe was causing raw sewage to enter the local waterways and green spaces too.

"I have to say Thames Water have reacted very quickly this time, I think they have learned from previous incidents," he added.

"Thames Water is doing what it can, Swindon is growing and we are producing more sewage now than we were maybe five or 10 years ago and the network needs to cope."

He said Thames Water had committed to a major operation to lay a new sewage pipe parallel to the existing one, with work due to commence in 2023.

But Mr Manro said it was "unacceptable" the river was yet again being polluted by sewage.

"We have barely let the river recover since the last incident," he said.

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