A sewer has burst at Appley Park in Ryde once again, with Southern Water mounting an emergency response involving tankers and the closure of Appley Car Park.
A large hole has been dug in the middle of the park as crews work to locate and repair the burst, which is near Appley Park Transfer Wastewater Pumping Station.
Appley Car Park has been closed and taken over by Southern Water, with tankers drafted into the area to help manage wastewater flows.
It is the latest in a lengthy history of sewer problems at Appley, including a catastrophic collapse in January 2021 when a sinkhole appeared on the footpath between Appley and Puckpool. Investigations revealed that a 1-metre-wide sewer carrying all of Ryde’s wastewater had collapsed deep underground.
By April 2021, the operation had already cost £2.5million and works continued throughout the year. Concerns were subsequently raised over the possibility of further sections of the buried sewer collapsing, leading to additional work being carried out.
The area was finally reinstated and reopened in April 2022 – 15 months after the sinkhole first appeared and following a total spend of £7million.
Appley has also repeatedly been used as a base for emergency measures when other parts of the wider sewer network between Ryde and Sandown have failed.
In July 2023, temporary holding tanks and an army of tankers were deployed at Appley while Southern Water repaired a burst pressurised sewer around 6 miles away at Yaverland.
More than 15 large sewage storage containers were then installed in Appley Car Park in February 2024 as part of the response to another major sewer failure, this time near West Lane in Brading.
Problems returned directly to Appley in November 2024, when a burst rising main on Appley Road sparked a major repair operation and saw tankers brought into Ryde. The affected pipe carries wastewater from Ryde and Seaview towards Sandown Wastewater Treatment Works.
Further trouble followed at Appley Park in July 2025, when another sewer leak resulted in contractors fencing off an area of woodland and using tankers to remove sewage.
Just months later, in October 2025, Southern Water was back at Appley Park dealing with a burst sewer, with tankers and temporary storage tanks deployed once again.
Now, less than a year later, crews have returned to Appley following the latest burst.
A spokesperson for Southern Water has said:
“Our teams are working to repair a burst sewer near Appley Park Transfer Wastewater Pumping Station.
“Measures are in place to help manage flows while repairs are carried out, including the potential use of tankers and temporary storage tanks if needed.”
