Sewage issues set to possibly destroy the woodland

29th April 2014
SEWAGE ISSUES SET TO POSSIBLY DESTROY THE WOODLAND
We visited the Woodland today to found yet another service vehicle in Speckled Wood trying to resolve the drainage issues. 

A Specialized track vehicle costing
£20,000 had been sent in to clear the pipework of roots only to fail as the cutter was to large to fit the access hole. As the vehicle left it was spewing waste into the stream from its pipes that had been in the sewer. These were being dragged through the stream and the tracks of the vehicle were destroying the footpaths This visit today we learned cost around £1500.00. The Stream had been cleared out by the heavy rainfall several days ago and the Trust had been told that the job had been signed off. This clearly is not the case.

The contractor on site told us that the other sewage pipe which is faulty from School Rd had been discussed in a meeting with Clancy Docwra where the discussed solution was a ten ton JCB coming in to rip out the sewage pipe from the bottom of the Woodland. Previously the sewage had failed polluting the stream and the sewer had been rodded to let the sewage dissipate. Southern Water are looking into this and could not comment.

The sewer drainage in this area has been known to be in a condemned state for some years as the Victorian pipework was never intended to  meet the housing demands put in by the Planning Department. The Trust calls for the two sewage pipes to be condemned before more damage to this Woodland Ghyll is caused.