Kentish Express Ashford & District
Solutions to waste trouble
Relieved residents watched a demonstration of a system that will hopefully stop sewage flowing up through their toilets and showers.
People living in the Bromley Green area have been plagued by the problems for 20 years and now Southern Water has pledged to spend £1 million ensuring it doesn’t happen any more.
The company will replace its system of vacuum pods with a series of large underground ones, which collect and hold wastewater before it is pumped away for treatment.
Residents packed into the village hall to find out how the system, made by civil engineering firm CG Godfrey, works and were told it was likely to be installed later this year.
The meeting was organised by Cllr Jane Martin and attended by MP for Folkestone and Hythe Damian Collins, who have both been campaigning for improvements to the sewerage system. Cllr Martin said: “Residents have been fighting for a solution for more than 20 years.
“I am delighted that together with our MP, Kent County Council and Ashford Borough Council officers, we have been able to work effectively with Southern Water and find a solution that residents deserve and can be confident in.”
Southern Water has also given each affected household a £200 goodwill payment and reimbursed surface water charges to qualifying households for up to 12 years.
Andrew Adams, Southern Water’s network infrastructure manager, said: “We have earmarked £1 million to help resolve the flooding issues in Bromley Green.
“We plan to replace the vacuum pods in the autumn and intend to have them installed by Christmas.
“Then, in the New Year, we will find and fix points of groundwater infiltration in the sewers where water is getting into the pipes and causing the current vacuum system to flood. We are grateful to the residents for their patience while we have worked on this and to Cllr Martin for her help in co-ordinating the meetings with residents.”