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Householders' horror as sewage pours into street
SEWAGE has poured into a Whitby street after heavy rains, leaving the street lined with filth.
Drains in Mulgrave Road burst on Friday, sending sewage including toilet paper, used tampons and excrement into the street.
It is not the first time the area has been affected by these problems.
In 2006, the Whitby Gazette reported how residents in the area were affected by the problem and how Yorkshire Water did not have the money to fix it.
On Friday morning Mulgrave Road resident Brian Ward (66) returned from a trip to Egypt to find the path in front of his home covered in waste.
Mr Ward, a health and safety consultant, told the Whitby Gazette: "It is a health and safety hazard and it happens every time there is heavy rain.
"I came home this morning to find sewage all over the street.
"There is toilet paper out the front and I have a tampon by my gate. The sewers cannot cope with heavy rainfall and the manhole covers lift and it all spills into the streets.
"Children play in the street and elderly people and pets all use the road, it is not hygienic.
"It has been going on for years now and it needs addressing."
Another resident, Sid Birchall, also called for Yorkshire Water to act on the problem.
"It needs sorting out sooner rather than later," he said.
In 2006 Yorkshire Water told the Whitby Gazette it would cost 930,000 to carry out the necessary repairs to fully eradicate the problem.
Coun Joe Plant has long pushed for the drains to be looked at.
"It is an environmental concern and it is about time Yorkshire Water got round to fixing it once and for all, no matter what the cost," he said.
A spokesman for Yorkshire Water said: "Yorkshire Water has already carried out some temporary work on the sewers in the area around Mulgrave Road.
"We understand that the number of incidents has reduced as a result. However, when the region experiences extreme weather, there is always the chance weaker points in the system won't be able to cope with the sheer volume of storm water and flooding becomes a possibility.
"It would appear that, despite the recent improvements, Thursday night's thunderstorms proved too much for the sewerage system around Mulgrave Road and storm water escaped to the surface once again.
"The fact Mulgrave Road has experienced another flooding event could certainly strengthen the case for further analysis and consideration of a more radical solution – but it's important to emphasise Yorkshire Water has to work to a priority list and areas where floodwater is entering homes will always be given preference when it comes to investment."
Scarborough Council sent out a street cleaner to clean up the waste on Friday.
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Weather for Whitby
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Light sleet
Temperature: -3 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 37 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 6 C
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