The area’s water company has been confronted over raw sewage flooding in Winkfield Row.
Neighbours have supplied pictures of sewage water flooding Cricketer’s Lane in the village, as concern grows over a plan to build new sports pitches on a school field next to the lane.
Pictures show particularly bad sewage flooding at the junction of Cricketer’s Lane and the B3022 Bracknell Road.
READ MORE: Elite school and neighbours clash over sports pitches plan
Stuart Tarrant, who lives in Winkfield Row and owns land to the west of Cricketer’s Lane, explained the predicament.
He said: “The problem is with the manholes. Normally they are sealed, mine are all unsealed. This is not a new problem. I have been talking to them [Thames Water] about it for years. They know they’ve got a system here that is fundamentally flawed, but the cost is too much money.
“Thames Water’s priority is to clear up messes and discharges on roads, private property and bigger residential areas. But I’d argue it’s important to clear it up here too because the sewage flows into Lambrook School’s playing fields!
“It is unpleasant when you have sewage flowing into water courses. And it causes disruption, because the sewage splurges over Bracknell Road. We couldn’t go down there at one point last Winter because it was absolutely flooded.
“In March we had a huge discharge of raw sewage on the patch where I live. For three days we had six inches of sewage flowing down the road, so Thames Water had to send a truck to suck it all up.
“Ultimately this is an old area with very inadequate sewage infrastructure.”
A map supplied by Mr Tarrant shows the location of the manholes in circles.
Thames Water has admitted that water can seep from manholes into the water system and explained how water leaks can occur.
But they have also said that they have conducted upgrades on the pipes in the area last June.
A spokesperson for the water company said: “We understand the concerns about flooding and have recently completed a major project in the area to alleviate the problem.
“Sewers are designed to carry lots of water, but sometimes the rain is so heavy it can overload the system, forcing the contents to back up through manholes. Water from rivers and streams which have burst their banks and surface water from roads, fields and private land can also get into the network and overwhelm it.
“Groundwater levels in this area are also exceptionally high all year round, meaning our sewers are constantly surrounded by saturated earth. Groundwater can get into the sewer through tiny cracks or where one section of pipe is joined to another and, to stop this, we’ve relined the pipe. We’ve also cleared tree roots and other blockages from it to improve flow and capacity.”
The question of the flooding comes as nearby Lambrook School has applied to build an astroturf multi-game sports pitch, a netball pitch and a car park with 33 spaces on its field immediately east of Cricketer’s Lane.
READ MORE: Flooding fears as school in Winkfield plans to build new sports pitch
The School must seek permission of Bracknell Forest Council to build the pitches.
The School has submitted a flood risk assessment, but it was rejected by the council’s Sustainable Drainage planning consultant.
Interviewed during a visit to Lambrook School, its bursar Neil Moulton argued that the car park for the pitches would be made of gravel, which is more permeable than concrete. The flood risk assessment states that flooding would be mitigated by putting attenuation tanks underneath the pitches, which would slowly drain any water that seeped through the turf into the water table.
However, the sustainable drainage consultee report states that they “do not believe” the attenuation tanks would be an “appropriate” flood management technique. The consultee has recommended that the plan be refused.
The school has been asked whether it will consider reworking its water management plan and the scheme more generally, however it has not responded to requests for comment sent on Thursday, June 10 and Tuesday, June 15.
You can view and comment on the plan by using reference 21/00260/FUL on Bracknell Forest Council’s planning website: at https://planapp.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/online-applications/
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