Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
‘Outdated’ sewage system blamed as homes flood
Heavy rain hit Blean so hard that ducks were left swimming through the back gardens of flooded homes.
Furious residents have blamed Southern Water for failing to ensure the village can cope with downpours. Jennifer and Geoffrey Samuel, of Tyler Hill, claim Blean’s “outdated” sewage system caused their backyard to flood after the relentless rain.
Mr Samuel says he first complained to Southern Water in 2015 about water from a sewage drain flooding his garden. He believes it presents a “public health risk”.
“It was the worst rainfall we have ever had,” the 72-year-old said after Thursday’s downpour. “The garden was a complete lake this morning and that is foul water coming from the sewage drain. Southern Water know this is a problem and their agents have been round to take photographs.” Mr Samuel claims the sewage pipes which run under the village are not big enough and the pumping station cannot cope with heavy rainfall.
His wife, 68, added: “We are just about to have our first grandchild and I would be terrified of them playing in the garden. It is really shocking.
“There were even ducks there this morning.”
Elsewhere in Blean a “devastated” family was left homeless after fire crews battled for 18 hours to remove water from their house.
Mum-of-two Sarah Burroughs, who has lived in School Lane for 10 years, had just returned from work at 2pm when she saw the drain in her garden was overflowing.
She says there had been seven incidents in the past nine weeks in which her drain has become blocked – but it had never before flooded the house. “The bath and toilet gurgle when it happens so I knew it was going to be bad,” the 48-year-old said. “I contacted Southern Water and they sent someone out in two hours, which is a miracle because usually it is three days. “But there was nothing they could do because they
‘Surely Southern Water have a duty of care to their customers to resolve that?’