New lake forms on Ringmer farmland as sewage network overwhelmed by wet weather

The lake has formed on private agricultural land to the west of New Road, just south of Lewes Road on the edge of the village.

One resident, Christopher Bowers, said the water was so high it was level with the road between Glyndebourne and Ringmer.

Were it not for the grass verge acting as a dyke, Chris believes the road would be flooded.

Chris also suggests the water is likely three feet high in places, including on the footpath that runs around the edge of the field.

The Environment Agency says it has issued issued a Flood Alert for the River Ouse just north of Ringmer.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “This autumn and winter has been very wet. River catchments are holding a lot of water and are very responsive to rainfall. We have issued a Flood Alert for the River Ouse just north of Ringmer.

"This unsettled weather is likely to continue so we would encourage people to check their flood risk and make a flood plan.”

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John Kay, chair of the Lewes District branch of CPRE Sussex, told SussexWorld that Ringmer’s sewage works were currently overwhelmed whenever it rained.

Mr Kay said Southern Water assures Lewes District Council planners that there is "additional headroom" in its sewage works to allow new houses to be connected – but fail to mention this only applies in dry weather.

A spokesperson for the water firm said: “We know flooding is distressing – and even those not directly affected are caused worry by large amounts of surface water.

"Ringmer’s geography makes it especially prone to flood risk. Exceptional weather has increased the risk recently – in November the area received more than 300 per cent of the long term average for the month.

“Although our own treatment works is affected by surface water floods, the site has been operating normally, reducing the risk of our own network flooding. We work closely with all the agencies with flood responsibilities to ensure risks are managed.”