St Leonards floods: Alert as tankers deployed for sewage works

The work aims to end flooding of the main sewer in Hastings which runs from Bulverhythe Tower to Cinque Ports Way

Residents of St Leonards are being warned to expect increased traffic for work to end repeated floods.

Southern Water will deploy 56 tankers as it shuts Cinque Ports Pumping Station for three days as work is carried out on a major sewage pipe.

The tankers will help transfer wastewater to Hastings Treatment Works.

"You will notice extra vehicle movements in and around the local area," Southern Water said on its website.

"We will be using generators, plant and machinery during the work, and will minimise any inconvenience to local residents where possible."

The main sewer pipe, which runs from Bulverhythe Tower to Cinque Ports Way, has had several major bursts since 2016.

Southern Water plans to put flows into another sewer, which it says will cut the risk of bursts and flooding.

But that requires a shutdown of a key pumping station beginning on Tuesday.

A Southern Water spokesperson said: "Over the past few months, we've been looking to find a solution to the ongoing problems with the main sewer.

"We are turning off Cinque Ports pumping station for three days which means we'll need to tanker the waste water to Hastings treatment works.

"This planned work will require approximately 56 tankers which is a similar number to when there has been a burst."

The work requires closing the town's Bulverhythe car park, while Cinque Ports Way car park will be access-only for residents.

Local residents have suffered from a series of major flooding incidents in the town in recent years.

In October a pipe burst in Amsterdam Way in Bulverhythe leaving several inches of sewage on streets and in gardens.

It was believed to be the fifth time a sewage pipe had burst in the area in two years.

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