At the Icklesham Parish Council meeting on November 13, councillors voted down an agenda item regarding further, much needed, house building at Icklesham. Why? Because Ian McConnochie, parish councillor for Icklesham, reported back that he had been ankle deep in sewerage around his home in Icklesham. Just like Winchelsea Beach, Southern Water appear to be hoping that their system can cope when using 5” pipes at both Winchelsea Beach and Icklesham, but clearly this does not work!
Previously on Saturday, September 23 Icklesham Parish Council had held a public meeting with Southern Water to discuss the ongoing flooding and sewage issues in Winchelsea Beach. John Penicud, director of wastewater operations, Catherine Marriott, regional operational manager for wastewater networks and Sue Cobb, stakeholder engagement manager attended to represent Southern Water. The meeting was chaired by Cllr David Smedley on behalf of Icklesham Parish Council. Also in attendance was Cllr Keith Glazier lead of East Sussex County Council and Cllrs. Hacking and Mier on behalf of Rother District Council. Environmental Health at Rother District Council were invited but they failed to send a representative.
Southern Water explained that the issues in Winchelsea Beach are caused by ground water getting into the sewer system. They explained that the public sewer system has been surveyed by CCTV cameras. These surveys identified sewers that, although are structurally sound, have the potential for letting in water at pipe joints. Following these surveys, 1.1km of public sewers with defects likely to allow infiltration to have been sealed. Further scans of parts of the private system in the caravan parks were undertaken in 2022. These surveys identified a further 1.1km of repairs which have also been completed over the summer of 2023. Southern Water have also completed the works on a private sewer which was found to have defects. They confirmed that their focus now is working with the caravan parks in the area to ensure that they have watertight systems.
Although they did not confirm that the issues have been sorted out, they were hopeful that the work they have been doing will have improved the situation. IPC feel that this work has not improved the situation and that someone needs to go back to the drawing board. The inescapable fact is that what residents are putting down their toilets is ending up in their gardens instead of a treatment plant thus resulting in total failure of a sewer system.
The planning committee of Icklesham Parish Council have continuously borne in mind the sewerage problem over many years and have objected to countless applications to Rother DC that IPC have seen as over-development at Winchelsea Beach. The committee totally opposed the extension to the opening times at Windmill caravan park, but these objections have been ignored although the increase obviously puts an already failing sewerage system under increased pressure. It is difficult to know why Rother allow additional building except for the fact that when one building is demolished, and two or three replace it means double or treble the council tax income.
So, excellent for Rother, but not for residents whose health and mental well-being are being compromised. Let alone our poor parish clerk and councillors who try their best to support, and help residents which Rother should be doing.
And now with the unprecedented rainfall recently tankers are back at Winchelsea Beach as expected doing the job that the sewerage pipes should be doing. This cost to Southern Water must be enormous, but Southern Water refuse to disclose the cost when requested by IPC who have once again been receiving complaints as to the operation of the tankers which disturb residents’ quiet enjoyment of their homes, and wrecks our roads because of the weight when moving water extracted from the system to dump elsewhere.
Icklesham Parish Council have lost patience with Rother planning department who continuously and irresponsibly fail to take their views into consideration, and they lay the blame firmly at RDC’s door that Southern Water have been allowed to run roughshod over tearful and fearful residents who have sewerage lapping at their doors and are being offered empty sandbags by RDC… The mere fact they failed to send someone from their Environmental Health department to the September meeting says it all, and IPC would like to know what RDC are going to do about this problem. How would Rother District Councillors like sewerage blowing back in their toilets, or to be wading in sewerage in their gardens, yet they expect parish council residents to accept this unhealthy situation? IPC look forward with interest to hearing from RDC.
If residents experience issues such as flooding, sewage backing up etc., please call Southern Water on 0330 303 0368. To ensure the issue is logged correctly please quote reference number 4583202 which explains the history of this problem or email sussexcustomer@southernwater.co.uk.
PO Box 148, Winchelsea, East Sussex TN31 9FP
Telephone: 07714 169901 or email: ickleshampc@hotmail.co.uk
