Alok Sharma, the Member of Parliament for Reading West, recently chaired a public meeting for residents in Theale about problems relating to sewage.
The Lambfields site in Theale has for a number of years had problems with sewers flooding, which has required large tankers to park for long periods of time and pump sewage out. During recent wet weather, some roads in Theale were affected by sewage flooding and some properties also suffered sewage back-ups.
Tom Medcalf, Operations Manager at Thames Water, Andrew Hagger, Thames Water’s wastewater modelling manager, Huw Thomas, Local and Regional Government Liaison Officer at Thames Water and Ashley Book from Thames Water Operations were present at the meeting to answer questions from residents and to provide an update on improvement works taking place. Councillor Alan Macro was also part of the panel.
During the meeting, Thames Water confirmed that the recent persistent rain had put pressure on the water network, but that Lambfields in Theale had been identified as a priority area for improvement.
It was agreed at the meeting that Thames Water would:
- Upgrade the pumping station to increase the efficiency of the existing pumps, which should reduce the need to rely on tankers
- Provide special sealing plates on manhole covers to divert surface rainwater from waste water system to prevent the sewers from overflowing
- Clear any pipes that are known to be blocked
- Carry out a CCTV survey to identify any further problems or defects in the pipe system
Alok Sharma said: “I was happy to organise and chair this latest meeting to help keep local residents updated on how Thames Water is managing the problems related to sewage. Thames Water were able to confirm that improvement works are due to start in June and I hope this will provide some relief to residents. However, it is important that we get lasting solutions to sewage problems, which have been ongoing for many years in Theale and the CCTV survey will hopefully help to identify the extent of work needed. I will continue to make sure that the right level of investment from Thames Water goes into improving the sewage system in Theale.”
Last modified on Thursday, 15 May 2014 18:27
