Southern Water promises to ‘make good’ damage in Lancing caused by sewage tankers

Several sewage leaks occurred at the West Beach estate last year which saw emergency works carried out – something the resident says caused ‘months of disruption’.

Tankers were used to manage waste water and one-way traffic management was put in place along the Brighton Road.

“The recent raw sewage discharges onto the residential seaside streets of Lancing saw months of ongoing repair work at the sewage site in Freshbrook Road,” the resident said, “with noisy tankers and floodlights at the site almost every night, for weeks on end.

“While obviously nowhere near as bad as the hellish and frightening situation for residents on West Beach, these constant emergency works meant that there was industrial noise and bright, white light all night long around the houses nearby in Freshbrook Road, Stable View and all the way along to Larkfield Close, disturbing our sleep for several weeks.”

The resident claimed that the ‘sewage system in this area clearly isn’t fit for purpose’.

They asked Southern Water to minimise disruption during future repair works and to ‘tidy up’ the area after vehicles ‘left a huge amount of mud and mess’.

The Freshbrook Road resident was one of many to submit a question to Adur and Worthing Councils’ joint overview and scrutiny committee which Southern Water had been invited to attend.

In December, Southern Water said the burst sewer on Orient Road needed emergency repairs.

A spokesperson confirmed that the company will be replacing the main but ‘lining’ will be used in the meantime to prevent further leaks.

During the JOSC meeting on Thursday (27 January) investment strategy manager Chris Braham said: “We have committed to replace the main which has been causing issues over the last few months.

“In terms of time scale it is quite complex – so we can’t say exactly when it’s going to finish but we’re underway.

“They are doing some more structural lining on the high risk areas over the next two to three months to reduce the risk in the interim period.”

Mr Braham said that the company is currently assessing damage caused by tankers which should be ‘addressed within a month’ – but supply issues for materials have slowed down the process.

“We’ll work through to make good in that area,” he said.

Sewage leaks across the estate led some residents to withhold payment for their water bills – something Southern Water advised against as the company said it could affect the customers’ credit.

The water company promised to repair any damaged property and offer compensation to those affected.

During the council meeting, the water company also outlined its plans for service delivery in the area and how it aims to reduce sewage releases (known as CSOs) into the sea in the face of increased demand on its infrastructure from new developments.

This includes a £140 million investment in water supply and treatment in Adur and Worthing.

Jessica Hubbard , Local Democracy Reporting Service