Mystery of street 'overflowing' with sewage

Heidi Cecchini said the sewage on her street is a health hazard

A resident living on a small lane in Somerset says she is unable to sell her home, because raw sewage is being pumped out on the street.

Locals on Mill Lane in Limington, near Ilchester, say the problem began after engineering works by an Internet company in October 2023, and hasn't stopped since.

Somerset Council said it is trying to establish who is responsible for the repairs, while Wessex Water said it could not find a fault with its equipment.

Resident Heidi Cecchini said the issue is causing her stress and "embarrassment".

The sewage leaks from a drain on the lane, residents say

Ms Cecchini is attempting to downsize her home, and speaking to BBC Radio Somerset said: "It's incredibly stressful, it's upsetting, it's embarrassing, it affects every part of your life and people don't want to visit.

"This shouldn't even be an issue. It should have been fixed straight away... it should have just been sorted.

"For it to be going on for a year, its unbelievable."

The flow is coming from a drain cover up the street, and appeared to be dribbling out when visited by the BBC, but videos also show water gushing through during rainfall.

Ms Cecchini is looking after her daughter, who has recently been in hospital with weakened immune system while her neighbour is recovering from prostate cancer.

She added she has spoken to various authorities and organisations, including environmental health which told her the waste is raw sewage, but despite site visits and phone calls no repair work has taken place.

The sewage has been flowing for more than a year, residents say

In a statement to the BBC, Wessex Internet, which initially carried out the works, said: "We did unfortunately damage some pipework in the lane.

"However, our investigations on site with the council have shown this is not the source of the sewage.

"The sewage is coming from a different location on the lane. We have fully repaired the damage we had caused and completed these repairs under supervision of the council superintendent."

Wessex Water said it has carried out surveillance and found no problem with its equipment.

Somerset Council said: "We responded as soon as we were alerted to the issue, appointing a contractor to clear gullies, carry out jetting, clear vegetation and carry out CCTV inspections to establish if the issue was related to highways drainage and therefore the responsibility of Somerset Council.

"Despite extensive efforts, this is still not clear, though further investigation work is planned."