'Sewage flooded my home - I'm worried it will happen again'
"It's mucky. You spot bits of loo paper inside it. It smells. And in it comes, into the house." At his home in Bladon, Oxfordshire in November, Colin Fletcher woke up to the sight of raw sewage bubbling up from a sewer in his back garden. "We were moving furniture upstairs as fast as we could," he said, as the mixture of rainwater and sewage entered the house. He and his wife had to move out for three months.A Thames Water spokesperson said the company was trying to identify a resolution.
Mr Fletcher said the incident was partly caused by Thames Water blocking a wastewater overflow pipe that runs from his home into a small stream in his garden. He said it meant after heavy rainfall, sewage in the pipe system overflowed from the sewer, mixing with rising water levels from the stream. "We are looking at ways of stopping the stream flooding the house," he said. "But we still have the problem that Thames Water are responsible for: that their sewer is inadequate, their pumping station is inadequate". Mr Fletcher said he feared that without these issues being addressed, another deluge could lead to the same thing happening again. "I have asked the question: when are they going to upgrade the pumping station - I've had no reply as yet".
A short drive away in Yarnton, Martin Johnson said collapsed piping under a roundabout near his home regularly caused his downstairs toilet to nearly overflow. A tanker, intermittently parked at the nearby pub The Turnpike, is the only thing mitigating ongoing issues with the sewer system there. "The root cause is that the pipes have collapsed, because they're so old."I'm the symptom [of the problem]. It's frustrating to be a consistent symptom of a problem they don't appear to be fixing."
Both Mr Fletcher and Mr Johnson have raised their cases with the Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock Calum Miller.
'Really frustrated'
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Miller said the two cases showed that the UK's water system was "broken". "I'm really frustrated that Thames Water are not taking these issues more seriously and doing much more to support their customers. "They tell us that's the priority for them, but their actions don't seem to live up to that."Mr Miller said his party were calling for a "single, new water regulator with real powers that would be responsible for water companies' economic and operational management."
A Thames Water spokesperson said: "We are aware of the concerns raised by both customers, and we are sorry for the impact sewer flooding has had on them, as we understand this can be upsetting. "We have been actively investigating both separate complex matters, with the aim of identifying a resolution. "We will continue to keep the customers and MP updated."
You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
18 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Trump warns China ‘not easy' as trade talks enter second day
7:34AM Good morning Thanks for joining me. Donald Trump said it was 'not easy' dealing with China but insisted he had received 'good reports' about trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing officials in London. Here is what you need to know as talks enter a second day. 5 things to start your day Apple's AI event falls flat as iPhone maker struggles | Investors sent shares downwards as Apple unveiled minor upgrades Thames Water lenders demand reprieve on fines in £17bn rescue deal | Ofwat urged to consider 'regulatory reset' after struggling utility giant hit with record penalty Nervous families freeze spending in blow to growth hopes | Fresh pressure on Rachel Reeves as retail sales rise just 1pc Miliband warned carbon capture project faces collapse without £4bn injection | Fledgling green tech has already received almost £22bn in public subsidies SNP ferry scheme suffers fresh blow after rain causes ship to flood | Glen Rosa is already behind schedule and £100m over budget What happened overnight Asian shares were mixed on Tuesday as investors kept an eye on the China-US trade talks that might help stave off a recession. A second day of talks was planned after US and Chinese officials met in London for negotiations over various issues. The hope is that they can eventually reach a deal to reduce painfully high tariffs against each other. Most of the tariff hikes imposed since Donald Trump escalated his trade war are paused to allow trade in everything from tiny tech gadgets to enormous machinery to continue. In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 0.2pc to 38,177.71, while the Kospi in South Korea jumped 0.3pc to 2,865.24. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.2pc to 24,127.30 and the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.5pc to 3,384.47. In Taiwan, the Taiex surged 2.1pc to 22,242.14. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.8pc to 8,587.20. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was flat, at 42,761.76, the S&P 500 rose 0.1pc, to 6,005.88. and the Nasdaq rose 0.3pc, to 19,591.24. In the bond market, the yield on benchmark 10-year US Treasury notes fell to 4.478pc from 4.494pc late on Sunday.
Telegraph
19 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Public sector employment swells to highest level in 14 years
Public sector employment has surged to the highest level in 14 years as Rachel Reeves prepares to unveil a £300bn spending spree this week. Almost 6.2m people were employed in the public sector in March, official figures show, 35,000 more than a year earlier. This is the highest number of public sector employees since December 2011. The figures from the Office for National Statistics came ahead of Ms Reeves's spending review on Wednesday, which is expected to offer big increases to defence and health while squeezing other departments. The Chancellor has raised departmental spending by nearly £400bn since Labour won the election. It comes as economists have warned more tax rises are 'inevitable' in autumn. The figures from the ONS also show that the number of civil servants is the highest since 2006, at 550,000, rising by 6,000 from a year earlier. This helped to push the total figure of central government workers to a record high of 4m, up by 93,000 from a year ago. The ONS said the rise was driven by the NHS, the Civil Service and some local authority schools becoming academies, which changes how their staff are classified in the numbers. While public sector hiring surged, the jobs downturn across the economy deepened as firms grappled with big tax and minimum wage hikes. The number of vacancies fell from 760,000 on average across February to April to 736,000 for the three months to May.
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Dog trainer warns against 'deadly' act almost EVERY owner does with their pets every day
A dog trainer has issued an urgent warning over a common mistake many dog owners make every day - and it could be fatal for your furry friend. Adam Spivey, the British founder of Southend Dog Training, warned pet parents against walking their dogs immediately after feeding them, describing it as 'one of the most dangerous things you can do' as a dog owner. In a video that has since gone viral, Spivey explained that feeding your dog and then taking them for a walk can cause a life-threatening condition known as 'bloat'. 'It's so important that if you are going to feed your dog before a walk, you give them at least 45 minutes to an hour before doing any physical activities,' he said. The expert clarified that gentle movement is fine, but 'properly exercising them' too soon is risky. 'You need to give time for that food to go down.' Spivey added that not only is it safer to feed your dog after a walk, it also helps with appetite and fussiness. 'They're going to be more hungry after they've burned off some energy,' he said. 'It reduces the chance of them being fussy if you feed them after exercise.' Veterinarians back the warning, with Cronulla Veterinary Clinic describing gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) - commonly known as bloat - as a fast-moving and often fatal condition. According to the clinic, bloat occurs when a dog's stomach becomes distended with gas, fluid or food, placing pressure on nearby organs and arteries. In severe cases, the stomach can twist, cutting off blood flow to major organs and causing shock. 'GDV develops without warning and can progress quickly,' the clinic explains. 'It's always an emergency, as every minute without treatment increases the risk of further damage and, ultimately, death.' Dogs with deep chests - like Great Danes, German Shepherds, Pointers, Mastiffs, Rottweilers, Boxers, and Greyhounds - are most at risk. However, the condition has been reported in nearly all breeds, including smaller dogs like Dachshunds, Shar Peis, and Basset Hounds. Common triggers include eating too quickly, overeating, drinking a large amount of water in one go, raised food bowls, stress, genetics, and, critically, exercising after eating. The warning has struck a chord with dog lovers online, many of whom shared heartbreaking stories in the comment section. 'I lost the most amazing dog to bloat. It is no joke. It happens unexpectedly. It is always an emergency and most dogs don't survive it. It is terrible' one person wrote. Another dog owner said the advice had likely saved their pet. 'I saw a post about this three years ago when I had not long had my staffy. I'm so glad I saw it. I used to feed her and take her for a walk straight after. It sparked me to learn more about being a dog parent - I realised pretty quickly there was heaps I didn't know.' Others are already taking precautions. 'We have three German Shepherds and anytime they eat, they have to wait at least one hour before walking or playing,' one user commented. The takeaway? Hold off on the walkies after mealtime - your dog's life may depend on it.
