East Sussex village 'cant cope with modern living' as properties suffer from persistent sewage flooding

Southern Water has issued an apology after one person living in Firle told SussexWorld her property had flooded six times with raw sewage in the last two-and-a-half years.

Caroline Lovett, Firle resident, said: “The sewage system is not fit for purpose. In heavy rain, the sewage from the top half of the village literally gets dumped into our garden and rises up in our sinks and toilet.

"I work in an NHS London Hospital and for three days last week I was having to tip toe through human faeces to get to work."

Caroline discovered the latest sewage flooding this month at 6am, when her daughter went to go get a glass of water and found raw sewage gurgling out of the plug hole

She says Southern Water doesn’t reply to her emails on the issue, taking them more than 55 hours to send a team to clean the mess up.

Caroline continued: “In the summer these villages may seem wonderful to live in, but these old properties can’t cope with modern living.

"Without a clear plan on how to manage the increased rain fall and sewage floods, one wonders for how long these properties will be habitable.”

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Southern Water said a very wet autumn has lead to high groundwater levels and increased risk of flooding in areas like Firle.

Following extensive investigations into the causes of the flooding, the water firm say they discovered a fault with the sewage line in the area, ensuring customers they would repair this in the next few weeks.

A spokesperson for the company said: “We know how distressing flooding can be and we are sorry our customers are being affected.

“There are complex issues in Firle with many agencies holding different responsibilities. The position is made worse by the very wet autumn leading to high groundwater levels and increased risk of flooding.

“We have conducted extensive investigations into the causes in this area and have discovered a fault with the line. We are going to be repairing this in the next few weeks and will keep our customers informed about the plan.”