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News Action to stop sewage overflow
SOUTHERNWater has finally an- swered calls from residents in rural south Maidstone who have been beset by problems of flooding and overflowing drains. After numerous complaints from- residents in Headcorn, Staplehurst and Marden, the company has pledged to review the sewage sys- tem’s capacity and infrastructure and forecast future need. Problems occur when surface
water leaks into defective soil drainage systems during periods of high rainfall. This drives excess solid waste toward the pumps that send the sewage to the treatment works causing overload and they then trip out. This results in backflows of raw sewage emerging from manholes into gardens and on to farmland. During a meeting convened by
local MP Helen Grant, Southern Water’s chief executive Matthew Wright promised it would improve the resilience of Marden pumping station, with pumps capable of han- dling greater capacities, and carry out the review before Christmas. Also present at the hour-long meeting were the company’s infra- structure planning manager for Kent Nick Davis and director of infra- structure Mel Karam.
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Mr Davis will liaise with parish councils and residents and has al- ready set up a meeting for Marden. In the short term, SouthernWater
has sealed a number of manholes to prevent surfacewater getting in and is installing pumps to divert water away from problem areas. It has put a temporarypumpin Marden Road. Maidstone Council leader Annabelle Blackmore and other members of the borough and parish councils attended the meeting at the MP’s Maidstone office, and agreed to meet withKCCto work out a sur- facewater management plan, in con- junction with thewater company. They also urged Southern Water
to raise a formal objection about in- frastructure overloadwhenthere are concerns regarding pertinent plan- ning applications.
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that more housing development will put more pressure on the drains, but we never get any comment to sup- port this from SouthernWater. There needs to be better communication when applications are submitted and I intend to ensure that this hap- pens in the future.” Speaking after the meeting, Mrs
Grant said: “It was a very construc- tive meeting and I am pleased that something isnowgoing to be done.” Staplehurst resident Louise Brice
said: “This is a toxic issue for resi- dents, especially those in the Mar- den and Cranbrook Road areas,who have campaigned long and hard to see improvements. It’s fantastic to hear that their hard workmaybe re- warded with double the number of pumps being installed.”
MPHelen Grant and Maidstone Council leader Annabelle Blackmore, and officials fromSouthernWater with parish and borough councillors and residents form Headcorn, Staplehurst and Marden
‘Not acceptable’
PRIOR to the meeting Mrs Grant met residents at the Pattenden Lane pumping station in Marden. She said: “This sewage problem
has blighted ourWealden villages for the last three decades. “It is simply not acceptable
that every time there is a signifi- cant downpour, the soil drainage system fails and residents’ gar- dens are flooded with raw sewage.”
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