No one knows where the village sewage goes

There is no definitive or accurate map of the sewerage system in Audlem, parish councillors have been told.

Intermittent street flooding outside the Co-operative store and the possibility of 120 new homes in the village has sparked concern that the village sewerage system needs a major overhaul.

But councillor John Langston told a meeting of the Parish Council this week that current United Utilities' maps of the village sewerage pipes were "completely wrong".

Now the council is to press United Utilities to provide them with a detailed and definitive map of the village sewers.

"There is no proper map of the sewerage system in Audlem. Drawings of the old sewerage system are completely wrong," councillor Langston told the meeting. "No one knows where the sewage actually goes."

Problems with village sewage increased in the wake of the Muller housing development in Moseley's Yard, prompting concern about the ability of the sewerage system to cope with the rising number of homes in Audlem.

Prospects of new 120 homes in the recent Gladman proposals for Little Heath have only highlighted the concerns.

Councillor Mike Hill said flooding near the Co-operative store was so bad recently that "I could not cross the street."

And councillors confidently expect 'summer smells' to arrive in the village centre when the weather turns warmer.

Plans for a pumping station have been in the pipeline for some time and there are prospects of one being built by 2016, but recent talks with United Utilities "have got nowhere", the meeting was told.

Now councillors want more urgent action to tackle existing sewage problems and want a statement from United Utilities about the capacity of the current system as this could help the parish fight the controversial Gladman housing proposals for Little Heath.

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