Patcham: Parents say children wading through sewage

Southern Water is responsible for sewers, while Brighton and Hove City Council deals with groundwater

Children are having to wade through raw sewage when it rains in Patcham, according to angry parents.

They say water containing sewage, toilet paper and sanitary products pours out of manhole covers during heavy rain in the East Sussex village.

Southern Water, which deals with the sewers, says the issue is "complex and challenging".

Brighton and Hove City Council, which is responsible for the groundwater, said the situation was "unacceptable".

Mother-of-three Rebecca Kimber told BBC South East that raw sewage comes "bubbling up" from manholes.

"I've had little kids go 'oh, look, it's fountains', but actually it's raw sewage with sanitary products and toilet paper."

'Health hazard'

Resident Rebecca Mintrim said as a mother of two young children she found it "alarming".

She said: "When it rains here in Patcham, it isn't just an inconvenience - it's a health hazard."

Tim Rowkins, chair of Brighton and Hove City Council's environment committee says tackling flooding is a "top priority".

"It's a big problem. We're vulnerable as a city and need to get on top of it urgently. It's completely unacceptable you'd have children walking to school with sewage on the streets."

A spokesperson from Southern Water said: "Groundwater flooding is complex and challenging for all the agencies involved. Our role is to ensure our sewers run freely.

"The biggest challenge to this in the area is 'unflushables' such as wet wipes and cooking fat, oil and grease, which is the major cause of blockages."

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