Sewage overflow causes three year misery for Coventry residents

[dutchman]

Residents have been trying to get the problem sorted with no luck - despite it causing multiple car crashes



Residents living on the edge of Coventry say they have endured a three-year nightmare trying to tackle a sewage overflow problem which is causing a stink. A huge pool of raw sewage sits constantly on a bend on Parrotts Grove near Aldermans Green.

Not only is it damaging the grass verge and a private fence, last year it iced over leading to two car crashes in the space of an hour. According to one local, the problem began when a new permanent traveller site was set up down the road near Barnacle.

It is claimed insufficient underground plumbing is unable accommodate the increase in demand, leading to the overflow. For three years residents say have been passed from pillar to post from various local bodies trying to find a resolution.

"It’s been an ongoing thing for three years. I've rang around, Coventry City Council, Warwickshire, they're all a complete waste of space – I've ben told they can’t just shut it off because it would flood the other side.

"It goes into (a) ditch and onto the road. If you look at the fence and the hedge, it’s damaging both. I don’t think we should have to put up with it, not for three years. And there is a smell as well.

"It stinks. If you drive up towards Bulkington or Barnacle, you notice it even that far down - people there have told us they can smell it.

"There could be 60 or 70 caravans up there - where’s all the water going to go? I'm sure they're not on the main sewer. I don’t know how it can be allowed."

But it's not just a smell and artificial damage causing a problem.

"It's dangerous too," the resident continued. "One morning last winter a girl came driving round the corner, hit the ice, spun, and crashed into our fence. While I was ringing the police, another car came round and crashed on the opposite side - within about half an hour.

"The roads haven’t been maintained properly. The kerb has more or less disappeared. When surplus water is piped into the drain, it just makes things worse."

A Warwickshire County Council spokesman told CoventryLive: "We are aware of the concerns raised and have been actively engaging with all parties involved to help resolve the issue. Site visits and additional drainage work are scheduled to take place over the next two weeks, and we are hopeful that these measures will resolve the situation."

Asked about the reason the problem has persisted for three years and not been dealt with sooner, the council advised it had nothing further to add.