Leak has become 'sewage fountain', say residents

Residents of a West Yorkshire street said a "fountain of raw sewage" had been "spewing out" of a water main near their homes for 48 hours.

People living on Wakefield Road in Horbury said pavements strewn with waste and floodwater were reported to Yorkshire Water on Wednesday, but the company had not yet done anything to fix the problem.

Sarah Dewart, 47, whose house is directly opposite the leak, said it had begun on Monday and by Wednesday it was "throwing sewage and wipes on to the road and pavement".

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson apologised for the situation and said a team was "investigating to quickly find a solution".

Caroline Booth, 65, who also lives nearby, said: "It's disgusting and because it's raining, it's running down the street causing a serious health and environmental hazard.

"There's a fountain throwing out fresh sewage, tampons and toilet paper all over the pavement.

"It's offensive and residents can't park outside their property and the water wastage must be running into thousands of gallons," she said.

Speaking on Friday Dewart, who is a nurse, said: "There's been waste water leaking since the start of the year. It's really smelly and must be dangerous to animals being walked."

However, after the leak worsened she said: "I phoned Yorkshire Water on Wednesday and was told someone would be out to see it within 48 hours, which they then upgraded to three hours when I said how bad it was.

"But nothing's been done yet and now the force of the water has split the grate in two and the pavement is just getting more and more covered in filth."

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said: "We'd like to apologise for the distress that this situation is undoubtedly causing for customers in the area and reassure them that our teams are currently investigating to quickly find a solution.

"In the meantime, our operational teams will be on site today to investigate the cause of the sewage escape, carry out a clean-up and explore all mitigation options to end the escape into the street."

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