Protest leader has killer disease fears

Killer diseases such as typhoid and cholera could break out in Elmer, a protest leader has warned.

Geoff Matcham said he feared such lethal conditions could appear because of the inadequate sewer system on the Elmer Sands estate.

"It is reaching the point where something has to be done because we are slipping into third-world conditions here," he claimed.

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The diseases would be spread during one of the recurring outbreaks of

effluent-tainted flooding which afflicts the 400-plus homes on the estate.

He stated: "When the whole area is under water and our dog goes out it is very difficult to thoroughly clean him.

"You can easily take your wellies off and leave them outside your house but a dog, and there are a lot of them on the estate, is padding around indoors spreading the dirt."

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Mr Matcham, of The Hard, spoke out as the campaign by the estate's residents' association for the outdated sewage pumping station on The Hard to be updated gathered pace.

The petition has about 130 signatures so far. It is intended to offer all the estate's homeowners the chance to sign by June 1.

Details of the petition will be given to Arun District Council's performance scrutiny committee on June 16 before it is formally presented to councillors next month.

The health and safety of residents during the flooding is at the top of the association's list of concerns about the inadequate sewage infrastructure.

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The pumping station was built in 1940 along with the surrounding pipe network.

Other issues are the inability to use their toilets during even moderate periods of rainfall and Southern Water's lack of provision until at least 2015 to address the problem.

The petition states: "The existing sewage infrastructure of Elmer Sands is incapable of coping even at times of moderate rainfall.

"During these times, raw sewage escapes through manhole covers round a large area on the estate.

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"We have records of problems being reported for more than 20 miles and still nothing has been done."

A former committee member of the association, Mr Matcham has organised the petition with another former committee member, Linda Smith.

He said: "The whole estate is affected by the flooding to some extent. But people who live in the lowest lying areas are the worst affected.

"There are three of those areas with about 60 homes, but that number is growing as the problem gets worse."

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