Lancing residents ‘can’t flush their toilets’ as flooding overflows sewers

Flooding has left Lancing residents unable to flush their toilets and motorists facing traffic chaos.
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Torrential rain in December has put strain on the area’s flood defences and environmental campaigners have warned the disruption is a sign of things to come.

Sewers have overflowed into the streets after becoming saturated by rainwater, leaving some residents having to use neighbours’ toilets.

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Flooding in Lancing SUS-191223-104557001

Bill Freeman, a member of Adur Rural Environmental Action, said the damage showed more needed to be done to combat flooding.

“Some people haven’t been able to flush their toilets, if they did they’d overflow into their bathrooms,” he said.

“It’s happened four years on the trot. And this closed a lane on the A27, it shows once again the futility of adding traffic to this road. It points out how inappropriate and dangerous developments like New Monks Farm are for the area and its drainage systems.”

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The New Monks Farm development off the A27 would see 600 homes built along with an IKEA superstore – estimated to bring two million extra car journeys per year.

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Flooding in Lancing SUS-191223-170058001

Critics have also warned building on the land, which is a flood plain, could increase flooding in the area.

Additional flood defences, such as a pumping station, have been included in the plans which were approved in October 2018.

Bill said rainwater stored in the chalky hills of the Downs flows down into Lancing, saturating the ground in the village and leaking into the sewers.

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As well as putting toilets out of action, sewage overflows into the streets – a common problem reported time and again over the years.

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Flooding along the A27 SUS-191223-170108001

Overpumping installations have been drafted in to remove the excess water, Bill said, which he hoped would relieve the situation.

In the West Beach area, gardens and streets were left flooded. Vice president of the residents’ association, Geoff Patmore, agreed it was the result of ‘messing about’ with the flood plain.

He said flooding around West Way was the worst he had seen after decades of living in the area and suggested over-development on flood plains may be to blame.

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