Sewer work prepares for autumn flood risk

Southern Water said people would see an increase in activity over coming weeks

Work to tackle the flood risk in a West Sussex village is under way in preparation for heavier rainfall and rising groundwater this autumn.

Southern Water is relining and sealing sewers in East Dean, near Chichester, to keep groundwater out of the system.

The water company said sewers were only built to cope with wastewater and excess groundwater could get into pipes, meaning tankers are needed to deal with the excess as a short-term, emergency solution.

The firm said it hoped to protect homes with extensive sealing of the sewers and apologised for any disruption over coming weeks.

Head of wastewater networks Alex Saunders said: “Some of the past groundwater levels in this area in the last two years have been some of the highest we have ever seen and posed a real challenge to tackle.

“We know this is a problem for East Dean and villages in this area.

“We hope by extensively relining sewers in this area, it can protect homes from flooding.”