The downpour coupled with a blocked sewage pipe running beneath the Partridge family's house meant sewage was streaming over the lawn.

Chris Partridge has lived at Globe House, on Main Road, for the past ten years without any such problems.

He has been left wondering if it could happen again after Southern Water recently finished work on drainage in the area.

He said: "It is a concern. Does the change in the system mean it is going to back-up all the time? Because it has never happened before.

"How are we to know it is not going to happen every time we get a downpour?

"There was sewage bubbling up around the sides of the manhole cover. It began to pong a bit."

The sewage came up through a manhole cover, and the traps for the washing machine in his garden, and it flowed to the stream at the end of his garden which flows out into Chichester Harbour.

He said he was worried about sewage possibly coming into his home as his property is lying almost level with his garden.

The mess was cleared up on Thursday by a Southern Water employee who disinfected the garden.

It was one of two complaints received about overflowing sewage.

Southern Water issued a notice on Monday, November 10, that there had been a storm discharge of sewage into the harbour after the heavy rainfall.

A statement from Southern Water said: "Heavy rain meant more rain than usual entered our sewerage system.

"Unfortunately, a blockage in one of the sewers caused the wastewater to back-up, leading to some localised external flooding.

"Blockages can be caused by a number of factors, including debris such as leaves entering the system, or by fat which has been poured into sinks or down drains.

"We will be investigating to find out exactly what caused this incident.

"We know external flooding is extremely upsetting and we have every sympathy for those affected on this occasion.

"We have recently completed a scheme in Fishbourne to help reduce the risk of sewer flooding to a handful of properties in the area, however, this was a localised scheme intended for properties in the immediate vicinity of the works and not the whole of Fishbourne."



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