Future housing developments in Long Wittenham must take into account the village’s sewage system, says the Parish Council.
The council has decided to make it a standard response to any future planning applications such as Kler Group’s development and the council’s own Community Hub plans.
Thomas Homes, the council’s developer for the Hub which will include approximately forty new homes, a new school, pre-school and village hall, are aware of sewer issues. The council is to remind South Oxfordshire District Council and Thames Water that the sewers are under strain and frequently cause problems.
Some residents have suffered flooding from sewage outflows this year caused by a blockage in the main drain at the eastern end of the High Street. Despite Thames Water inspecting the sewer, engineers were unable to locate the cause of the earlier blockage.
One resident, Peter Surridge, said that the Kler development and the Hub needed Thames Water to face the necessity of substantial improvements to the sewage system in the village.
Thames Water workers have verbally admitted on site that the system at the Little Wittenham turning needs regular mechanical clearance by external tanker; other residents in the Clockhouse development have also encountered considerable problems.