After suffering 25 sewage flooding incidents since 2005 alone, houses at the south-east end of Whitelands Avenue hope they are finally about to get effective help from Thames Water. Thames Water (TW) have identified a ‘pinch-point’ in the main sewer under Lower Road resulting in sewage ‘backing-up’ until it finds its way out at the lowest point – private drains in Whitelands Avenue where it forms pools outside front doors and sometimes flows into airbricks.

TW plan to lay an additional short section of sewer beneath the pavement outside the affected houses, joining the main sewer at Blacketts Wood Drive where it will have a dedicated pump to prevent backing-up. Several permissions are needed beforehand but work is expected to begin this summer. 

(Photo: TW have recently surveyed and mapped the local sewage system and are shown here inserting relining.)