An Isle of Wight Councillor has this week welcomed a change of heart by Southern Water that has led to the removal of a sewer pipe from under a Newport bridge where it had contributed to serious flooding in December 2013.
As previously reported by Island Echo, Southern Water’s Chief Executive, Matthew Wright, had written to Island’s MP Andrew Turner, accepting that the pipe located at Wilver Road had not been used for 3 years, but refusing to have it removed to reduce the flood risk arguing that it would be too costly.
Further campaigning by local residents and Councillor Whitehouse, with Mr Turner’s support, has now delivered a local review of the situation. Southern Water’s Manager on the Island, David Gaskell, stepped in and agreed to have the sewer removed in what Cllr Whitehouse says was “a very welcome change of heart by Southern Water whose team on the ground knew the seriousness of the issue”.
Cllr Chris Whitehouse (Conservative, Newport West Ward) says:
“Christmas 2013 was a nightmare for residents of Caesars Road Newport and some residents of Wilver Road. After heavy rain, Lukely Brook became partially blocked in several places, burst its banks and flooded local houses. That flooding was exacerbated because a large sewer crosses the Brook underneath Caesars Road Bridge, reducing the size of the passage under the bridge and catching debris which at the time included traffic cones, children’s tricycles and corrugated steel sheeting.”
“The removal of the pipe was no simple job because it had been filled with concrete, but local residents will be delighted it has now gone.
“Working together with Cllr Julie Jones-Evans and Cllr John Hobart, with the Island MP, Andrew Turner, and concerned local residents we made a powerful case to Southern Water and they have now listened and acted. Removing this redundant sewer will not solve all the problems with Lukely Brook, but it will help reduce the likelihood of flooding.
“We’ll be continuing to work with Southern Water, the Environment Agency, the Isle of Wight Council and Newport Parish Council to tackle other factors which may have contributed to the dreadful floods in 2013.
Article continues below this advertisement “We owe a big vote of thanks to Southern Water’s local manager, David Gaskell, and all his crew who worked on this project.”
