Floods in Bread Street and sewage in the living room

My neighbour has had water run-off the road down her steps and into her kitchen on several occasions over the last few years. A week ago heavy rains again flooded her - Strange living so high up in the Cotswolds to find your home flooded! I've helped mop up on two occasions - and they were surprisingly dirty and yuccky! I luckily missed this latest occasion!

In the past we've been told it is the drains being blocked and the problem would be sorted: maybe - but it now seems clear after maybe 4 or 5 floods that the drains are not up to the job.

Highways this time have responded with sand bags (see photo) and promises to unblock. This is great but the sandbags are situation to divert water from my neighbours house further along the road...sadly barely 3 metres along is my house - I'm hoping they unblock the drains before more heavy rains make it into my front room!

Highways have said they will relook at it but I suspect a new drain or channel is needed to take the water. Indeed news in the last month is that we can expect many more occasions of extreme weather and particularly rains as a result of climate change. These "little" problems are likely to become more common.

And an email this weekend from a local Ruscombe Brook Action Group member who had her home sprayed with raw sewage:

"...had major sewage spillage spraying into my dining room and kitchen, and spent the day clearing up rather than writing the proposal. There was a major blockage in the main sewer that all my row of houses are attached to - many metres away from the houses, and it had backed up to my neighbours garden and was spilling out of the manhole cover there. He called in STW on the emergency line who said they would take 48 hours to get there. After some heated discussion he said this was unacceptable, and would engage a private contractor and send STW the bill. I was unaware of all this until the contractor pressurised the entire sewer to clear the blockage...which blew the soil pipe off my downstairs toilet and sprayed contaminated water in a 6 foot jet across my living space. The contractor was unconcerned about this because he had managed to clear the blockage - I hear it was sanitary towels and face wipes - and delivered a bill for £550 to my neighbour who has sent it to STW."

RBAG will be picking up on this issue and trying to improve the situation locally - infact had a call from a Ruscombe resident yesterday re sewage in their garden - clearly we need to encourage Severn Trent to sort the problems but we also need longer terms solutions. That is what RBAG are working to achieve - and to be fair Severn Trent and others are working with us - we will soon be highlighting fat traps and other measures that householders can take to reduce these types of incidents - more about them very soon!