Call for action after South Staffordshire sewage spill

Residents have called for action after sewage spilled out across a village road in South Staffordshire because of a burst storage tank.

A villager walking her dog discovered sewage gushing out from one of the huge containers at the Severn Trent site in Coven Heath.

It caused the closure of Ball Lane, near to the corner of Heath Lane, while contractors worked throughout Saturday to fix the problem and clear up the mess.

Councillor Linda Tomkins, Coven Heath member of Brewood and Coven Parish Council, lives near to the site.

She said: "The same thing happened on Christmas Eve. We believe the problem is that the tanks are not being properly maintained.

"All of the sewage form HMP Oakwood goes there and there is talk that the sewage from the i54 plant will go there. There isn't enough capacity."

Fred Barrett, chairman of Coven Heath Community Association, said the mess was found by a 76-year-old resident shortly after 7.45am on Saturday while she was walking her dog.

He added: "She had walked through it before she realised what it was. It smells terrible.

"People who drive through it end up having to drive around until they have been able to get rid of the mess from their tyres."

Today, South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson said he was going to seek an "urgent meeting" with Severn Trent to discuss the matter.

"It is disgusting and unacceptable that residents have been faced with this. Clearly it is something that has happened on a number of occasions. I will be arranging a meeting with Severn Trent to see what can be done."

Severn Trent spokeswoman Sarah McArthur said: "We'd like to thank customers in Coven Heath who reported an issue at the sewage treatment works.

"We had a team working over the weekend to clear up the spillage, which was caused by a burst in a tank on the site.

"The tank was shut down early on Saturday morning and an alternative one was being used, so the service the works provide to the local community was not affected. We will be investigating repair work this week."