Danny Chambers and Cllr Jonathan Williams tackling sewage in Durley

Danny says:

Sewage continues to be dumped into our rivers, and in some cases it’s even backing up onto public streets and people’s properties. Decades of regulatory failure have allowed this situation to develop, and it simply isn’t acceptable.

A couple of weeks ago, after a meeting with Southern Water (which the Conservative-run County Council did not attend), I spoke with Cllr Jonathan Williams about the ongoing problems affecting residents in Durley.

On top of hundreds of hours of sewage being pumped into local rivers, residents have had to endure years of constant tanker movements and heavy machinery.

Those tankers struggle to get up and down the road because it has deteriorated so badly. Hampshire County Council say they won’t carry out full repairs until the sewage works are finished— in the meantime, local people are left dealing with enormous potholes, damaged roads and constant disruption.

I’ve been supporting local councillors and the parish council in pushing for action on this issue, and I’ve also raised the need for stronger water company regulation in Parliament.

Residents shouldn’t have to live like this. Southern Water must fix the underlying sewage problem and the County Council must ensure the road is safe and properly maintained while this work continues.