Residents of Frognal Lane say that the sewage discharges have flooded their road with waste, all the way to their front doors.
Finn Macdiarmid reports.
Finn Macdiarmid reports.
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00:00Residents have described it as raw sewage spewing out of their driveways, reaching as
00:05far as their front door.
00:07Ever since 2023, locals living here on Frognell Lane in Tenham have had their roads, showers
00:12and toilets subjected to floods of waste that bubble up from manhole covers and can reach
00:17from house number 39 all the way down to the end of the road.
00:21And with almost 300 more homes on the way as part of the Hysted Park development, people
00:26aren't sure the system will be able to cope.
00:28Local councillor Julian Speed thinks the village's other issues need to be addressed
00:32before a single shovel goes in the ground.
00:34I actually argued that the homes shouldn't even be built, let alone occupied, but unfortunately
00:39I didn't manage to get that through.
00:41But that's merely the 300 houses in Frognell Lane.
00:45You've then got potentially over there 1,250 extra houses in the northern Hysted Park site
00:53and all of that will be using the same sewage system as well.
00:56So even though it's going to be upgraded, will it be upgraded sufficiently to cope with
01:01all those extra houses, let alone cope with the problems that residents have got at the
01:05moment?
01:06The smell and sheer amount of it has a disastrous effect on the area, with one discharge lasting
01:11for three days.
01:13And it particularly affects the population of elderly and vulnerable people who live
01:16there.
01:17Now this is probably the worst area on Frognell Lane when it comes to these sewage discharges
01:21and that's all because these houses here are for people with mobility issues.
01:25So all the bathrooms are on the ground floor.
01:27So when the sewage is pumped up out of the drains, it can come through their toilets
01:31and their showers, completely ruining their homes.
01:35Southern Water on the other hand say only 50 more homes could be added to the system
01:38without causing significant damage.
01:41They stated that a recent survey of our sewer network between Tenham and Sittingbourne Wastewater
01:45Treatment Works highlighted the need for upgrades, due to the risk of blockages from ingrowing
01:49tree roots and the build-up of unflushables like wet wipes, fat, oil and grease.
01:54The water company added that they do plan on upgrading the system between now and 2030.
01:59But for residents who have to live with the frequent overflows, they tell me that they
02:02are left with very little hope that their roads, driveways and front doors will remain
02:07free of sewage.
02:08Finn McDermid for KMTV in Tenham.