Human waste pours out of faulty sewer (From Swindon Advertiser)

Human waste pours out of faulty sewer

7:30pm Monday 24th September 2012 in News By Matthew Edwards

SHOPPERS in Old Town were confronted with piles of used toilet paper and human waste this morning as raw sewage poured into the street.

Excessive rain caused a stink in Michael’s Way where a faulty sewer bubbled over, leaving raw sewage pouring on to the pavement.

The incident in the alleyway between Wood Street and Joiner Street has prompted Thames Water to apologise.

And residents say this is not the first time the sewer has caused a stench, saying they have reported the problem to Thames Water before.

Caroline Cole, 68, of Old Town, complained about the smell as she walked past on her way to work.

She said: “It is a horrible smell and you don’t expect to walk through sewage on your way to work.

“This is the second time I have seen it happen and the drains can obviously not cope with the rainfall.

“Something needs to be done, the smell is awful and not a nice thing for people visiting the shops or the restaurants around here.”

One of the worst affected by the smell was the Swindon High Street Club, where the run-off from the sewage culminated at the back door.

Club secretary Jack Holland said that he was tired of complaining about the problem.

He said: “I have been reporting this for weeks.

“Every time it rains it comes back, and it is disgusting.

“The smell it leaves is horrendous and Thames Water has taken too long to do something.”

Thames Water said it was aware of the problem and was investigating whether it has been caused by a collapsed sewer.

A spokesman said: “We have been investigating a sewer blockage on Joiner Street after reports of flooding.

“We believe this is being caused by a partially collapsed sewer and we will be doing a CCTV survey to try and locate the problem.

“We are really sorry for the inconvenience caused and aim to have this fixed as soon as possible.”