Erith street has raw sewage pouring out five times in month (From News Shopper)

Sandcliff Road in Erith has raw sewage pouring out five times in month

12:13pm Monday 10th September 2012 in News By Alan Woods

ERITH residents are kicking up a stink after a stream of raw sewage has been left running through their street on five separate occasions over the last month.

Paul Seymour, of Sandcliff Road, says faeces has been pouring out of three different manhole covers in the road, including one 10 feet from his front door.

He claims Thames Water cleans up the problem only for it to happen again days later

Mr Seymour told News Shopper: "Firstly we have got lumps of toilet paper encrusted in effluence, it's not a little trickle we are talking about - it all pours out.

"The last time it overflowed there were just little bits of crap floating up and down the place and it gets stuck round the car tyres."

The 53-year-old added: "The worst thing is the stench.

"On a nice hot day you open the window and it suddenly comes through the house.

"The smell is still here because it's literally been going on so long."

Mr Seymour, who is a maternity manager at Darent Valley Hospital, says the problem usually "rears it's head once every year" but the street - nicknamed Poo Mews - has been constantly covered in sewage over the last month.

He said: "Thames Water workers showed me down the manhole cover and it was coated in fat, which is what they think is causing it.

"I just hope it stops.

"Every time we come home we hope it's not doing it again, but it's happened five times in four weeks so I'm not sure it's going to be over."

He added: "The big issue I have is the lack of communication with Thames Water, they don't seem to have learnt their lessons.

"I want them to keep residents informed."

A Thames Water spokesman said: "A build-up of scale, silt and food fat blocked a sewer under the road, leading to sewage backing up.

"We're really sorry to residents and road-users affected by the grim mess.

"We would also remind people not to put fat down sinks.

"It slips down easily when it's hot but blocks drains when it cools down. So remember: Bin it - don't block it."

London's worst ever sewage spill

IT IS not the first time residents in the road have put up with overflowing raw sewage.

Thames Water was fined £250,000 in 2000 and spent more than £2m clearing up an industrial sewage spillage in Sandcliff Road in 1998.

The spillage, which saw thousands of gallons of chemical sewage overflow into the street, 10 houses and into the River Thames, took years to clean.

Households also saw a river of sewage running down the street in five similar incidents between 2004 and 2008.