Calls have been made to unblock drains on a village road after sewage found its way onto people’s driveways and led to toilets not flushing.
Richard Elliott and Sebastian Brunt, from South Creake, near Fakenham, have both been affected by flooding causing a knock-on effect on the sewage system and drains near their homes on Back Street.
Mr Elliott has seen both dirty water and loo roll appear from a sewer cover on his driveway, as well as his road being flooded due to drain grates on the road being blocked up.
His neighbour, Mr Brunt, is also frustrated due to the serious flooding problem in the area, and the increased pressure on the system due to the extreme wet weather.
He said: “All our drains are overflowing, our kitchen sink won’t drain, the sewage is backed up and we cannot use the downstairs loo, and it has created a revolting smell, and sewage is outside on our driveway.”
Mr Elliott is calling on Norfolk Highways to unblock the drains, which he said were installed by his home in 1977, thanks to his dad.
He added: “He complained to the county council to install a drain, and councillor Harry Schulman was very helpful and insisted that the highways department install a drain which they did.”
A spokesman for Norfolk County Council said: “Our team do clear the gullies and drains along adopted highways on a routinely basis to ensure water can drain down them efficiently, however, the system is designed to cope only with everyday storm events and excessive rainfall and overland runoff can often overload the system.
"Where gullies are blocked NCC Highways undertake clearance – in this case, our contractors are working in the area and are due to visit South Creake on February 23 (tomorrow) morning to desilt the system.”
Mr Brunt, who installed a new drainage system in his home after water got inside three years ago, was surprised to see Highways not unblock the drains last year when they resurfaced the road, “As a result of them not clearing it we now have this horrendous problem which is affecting all of us in the village. Some people have had sewage in their garden.”
A spokeswoman for Anglian Water added: “We’re working hard to keep our sewer network flowing over the winter months. The problems we're seeing across Norfolk are being caused by rain and surface water getting into the sewer network, rather than a specific problem with the system.
“Our sewers are designed to take away the waste from homes and businesses, but the nature of what they are there to do means they are not sealed systems, and excess rainwater or groundwater can infiltrate into them during prolonged or extreme wet weather.
"It means that while our network is operating the best it can, there's much less room for the sewage, which can cause problems with flushing toilets, or using showers and washing machines, particularly if they are downstairs.
“We know it’s hugely frustrating, but these problems will get better once these water levels recede, creating more room in the sewers again.”
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