East Sussex politicians hold 'appalling' Southern Water to account over sewage leaks

Last month, SussexWorld reported that people living in the Wealden village were furious as sewage continued to be backed up into their homes from overloaded drains.

Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, convened a forum with other local authorities to hold Southern Water to account over their ongoing failures to address and prevent issues with flooding in Hellingly.

Mrs Ghani said: “We need Southern Water to do better. I share everyone’s frustration at the lack of preparation and the speed of response when such disruptive events take place in Wealden.

"It is clear that Southern Water are not investing enough in their infrastructure and have a resilience problem, and I am again incredibly disappointed that lessons do not appear to have been learnt."

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People living in the village say their sewage system cannot cope with new houses being connected to it.

Back in January, residents Jim and Delia Cottingham said they had not been able to use their toilet for three months whenever the drains were full, as raw sewage would spill on to their patio each time this happened.

This week, representatives from Hellingly Parish Council, Wealden District Council and East Sussex County Council joined Mrs Ghani in Hellingly to hold Southern Water to account.

They discussed the ongoing issues with drainage, as well as plans and priorities for upgrading the infrastructure, including the local pumping station.

The Wealden MP said she was ‘disappointed’ that a representative from the Environment Agency was not present at the meeting.

Nusrat Ghani said: “I am pleased that representatives from several local authorities have gathered to discuss the matter, but it is most disappointing that the Environment Agency failed to attend and answer questions about water overspill, and it is appalling that Southern Water were unable to answer basic questions from the Hellingly community and provide promised updates and explanations.

"I will continue working with Hellingly Parish Council to push for better performance, faster response rate and more investment in critical infrastructure from Southern Water, and for regular updates on resilience and future planning with local communities.”

Southern Water have been approached for a comment