Connect with us

Published

on

When Martin Greenbank moved into his home in Guildford 15 years ago, he thought it was just right for his growing family.

Near a good state secondary school, and with a blooming back garden, where daffodils spring up beneath a cooking apple tree, and lavender and shrubs border his proudly maintained lawn.

It would be the perfect place for his children to play – or so he thought.

Because, for the last 18 months, “every time it rains moderately”, untreated sewage bursts out of a manhole cover in his back garden, streams across the lawn, along the patio and out through the back gate.

“We get all the foul stuff – effluent, toilet roll, wet wipes, poo dumped in our garden,” he says.

“It stinks.”

Sewage and rainwater pouring through Martin Greenbank's back garden
Image:
Sewage and rainwater pouring through Martin Greenbank’s back garden

Flooding in Martin Greenbank's back garden
Image:
The flood leaves behind a thick layer of brown sludge beneath the apple tree

The only reason it didn’t come into the house again in February is because he had placed sandbags outside to stop it from happening again.

Untreated sewage can be riddled with diseases like e.coli and salmonella, and it only takes a few cells to enter your body to make you ill.

Mr Greenbank and his wife aren’t letting their three children use the back garden for the time being.

“I shouldn’t be paying anything for this at the moment, [while] having someone else’s wastewater dumped in our garden. It’s a cheek to think it’s acceptable.”

The flooded manhole cover left a rail of brown sludge in Martin Greenbank's back garden
Image:
The pressure in the sewer forced the lid off the manhole cover in Martin Greenbank’s back garden

A ‘national scandal’

The problem, known as sewer flooding, is generally caused by a blockage or excessive amounts of sewage or rain, causing untreated sewage to burst out of a weak point in the system, such as a manhole cover.

There were 47,000 cases of sewer flowing on private land and gardens in England and Wales between April 2022 and March 2023.

While these recorded cases have fallen in recent years, those that happen on public land are not reported in the same way.

That means the overall figure is likely much higher, and it is difficult to determine quite how bad the problem is.

Aidan Taylor, lecturer in microbiology at Reading University, says conditions in parts of England are reminiscent of “conditions last seen in Victorian London, where raw sewage was openly dumped into the street and outbreaks of diseases spread by sewage, such as cholera, were common”.

He called it “alarming” to be back in this situation today. “It is very possible we will see outbreaks of disease as a result.”

Labour calls it “sickening beyond belief”, and the Liberal Democrats call it a “national scandal”.

A fountain of sewage pouring out of pipes near Shrivenham in Oxfordshire. Pic: Chris Langlay-Smith
Image:
A mini fountain of sewage near Shrivenham in Oxfordshire. Pic: Chris Langlay-Smith

The aftermath of flooding around a bend in the sewer in Shrivenham. Pic Katherine Foxhall
Image:
The aftermath in Shrivenham. Pic Katherine Foxhall

The problem starts from the fact the UK has a combined sewer network.

That means rainwater and sewage from homes and businesses all wash down the same pipes into a treatment works to be cleaned.

Emergency discharges into rivers – known as combined sewer overflows – have recently prompted widespread public anger at the polluted state of the nation’s waterways.

But sewer flooding, when sewage comes out of weak points in the system like manhole covers, is affecting people closer to home, pouring toilet roll, foul smells and misery into the streets where people live and children walk to school.

‘Humans faeces all over the lawn’

It’s happening around the country.

Rebecca Jordan in Barrowden, a pretty village of stone cottages with thatched rooves, nestled among hills and rivers in Rutland, East Midlands, was sitting at home one Sunday last September when the heavens opened and unleashed a “monsoon-like” sudden, fast downpour.

Worried about the “deluge of rain” flowing down the hill towards her house, she looked out the window at her garden, where normally her chickens and dog happily roam around, and her children play on the trampoline.

But on this day, she saw the manhole cover lift up on to the lawn, “and absolutely tonnes of shit came out. Genuinely, there’s really no other way of putting it”.

“There were just human faeces all over the lawn. Loo paper, tampons and you name it, it was there.

“Wet wipes, stuff you just don’t think people flush down the loo.

“It turns out people in my village do, because it’s all over my lawn.”

She praised the rapid response and fix by Anglian Water. But elsewhere in the country, campaigners have complained about the same thing happening for a long time.

Toilet roll litters the lawn after sewer flooding in Rebecca Jordan's house
Image:
Toilet roll and sanitary products litter the lawn after sewer flooding in Rebecca Jordan’s garden

In Grimston, north Norfolk, a manhole cover has been “spewing untreated sewage and foul water into a local chalk stream from the same spot for more than two years” every time it rains moderately, according to Gaywood River Revival, which campaigns to protect the chalk stream.

The “absolutely disgusting” smell “lingers in the air outside”, a spokesperson for the group told Sky News.

Over in Oxfordshire, Ash Smith, of the Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP) group, in February spotted a manhole cover on Station Road in Shipton-under-Wychwood leaking toilet roll.

“There’s kids walking and cycling to school” along the road, he says. “You get splashed by cars, it’s thrown into the air.”

Flooding from a manhole cover in Grimston, north Norfolk. Pic: Gaywood River Revival
Image:
Flooding from a manhole cover in Grimston, north Norfolk. Pic: Gaywood River Revival

Who’s to blame?

Sometimes it’s down to blockages in the system, as turned out to be the case with roots and a brick near Martin’s house, or wet wipes and fat in Norfolk. Thames Water and Anglian have both since sent respective teams to unblock the pipes and promised clear-ups.

But all water companies Sky News spoke to said the extremely wet winter, with lots of named storms, was simply overwhelming their system.

The rainwater either washes down the drain or infiltrates the pipes via soggy ground, if the sewers are poorly sealed or are cracked.

Climate change is not likely to help, forecast as it is to concentrate rain in the UK into more intense downpours, according to the Met Office.

The regulator, Ofwat, has asked water companies to start preparing for these changes.

In the meantime, the country’s ageing sewer system is also threatening desperately needed house-building, with the Environment Agency recently objecting to a development in Oxfordshire on the basis the sewer system couldn’t cope.

Campaigners argue the system should be designed or upgraded to cope with heavy rain.

Mr Smith says: “Rain in winter is hardly a surprising event.

“We are sick of hearing the same lame excuses about the weather. They [water companies] have been in charge for 30 years and still haven’t got to grips with it.”

A flooding sewer in Shrivenham. Pic: Chris Langlay-Smith
Image:
A flooding sewer in Shrivenham. Pic: Chris Langlay-Smith

Residents ‘expect action’ to stop sewer flooding

Sir John Armitt, chair of government advisory body the National Infrastructure Commission, says residents can “rightly expect action to tackle these shocking incidents”.

Water companies should better maintain and expand their systems “to reduce the risk of blockages and collapses”, he told Sky News.

A spokesperson for industry group Water UK said: “We understand the inconvenience that sewer flooding can cause, and thankfully there has been a 20% reduction in sewage flooding gardens and land over the past few years.”

Companies are proposing a £10.2bn investment to “radically increase the capacity of our sewers to stop sewer flooding and prevent spills”, including installing huge storm tanks to hold rainwater and sustainable drainage projects.

But it urged the government to implement policies including ending the automatic right of developers to connect new houses to sewers and allowing water companies to repair drains on private property.

Sewage and rainwater pouring through Martin Greenbank's back garden
Image:
Sewage and rainwater rising up in Martin Greenbank’s back garden

Labour and the Liberal Democrats accused the government of allowing water companies to get away with it.

Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said: “This is a national scandal. The government has allowed these firms to make massive profits whilst letting pipes and infrastructure fall apart.”

Labour’s Steve Reed, shadow environment secretary, called it “sickening beyond belief” and urged the government to “stand up to water companies”.

The Lib Dems said water firms should pay out to affected residents, while Labour said it would give the regulator, Ofwat, the power to ban water boss bonuses.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told Sky News it is “taking tough action to hold polluters to account”, including increasing water company inspections fourfold, recruiting more staff, and consulting on water company bonus bans.

“As part of our efforts to reduce the volume of water going into our sewers, we are also increasing sustainable drainage systems in new developments and will be consulting on this shortly.”

As for Mr Greenbank in Guildford, Thames Water sent a team to clear his pipes after being contacted by Sky News, and is in the process of cleaning his garden, although there hasn’t been more heavy rain since then to test the fix.

“But I won’t be eating anything off that apple tree for at least another year,” he says.

Martin Greenbank set up a barrage to stop the water from entering his home again
Image:
Martin Greenbank set up a barrage to stop the water from entering his home again

Water companies say they are clearing up and making improvements

A spokesperson for Thames Water apologised for the sewer flooding at Martin Greenbank’s home and recognised “how difficult this situation can be for any customer, and unfortunately in his case both heavy rain and a blocked sewer pipe have contributed to the sewer flooding”.

Its engineers have “now cleared the pipe, which should resolve the issue and help to prevent it from happening again”, and it is working on a refund and a goodwill payment.

Regarding the Shipton-under-Wychwood manhole cover, Thames Water said its engineers located and removed “a blockage in the sewer caused by a combination of fat and wet wipes”.

“Customers can help us prevent these kinds of blockages, which can cause sewage to back up out of manholes, by only flushing the three Ps – pee, poo and paper.”

Read more from Sky News:
High-pressure showers can cut water use – study
The homes being swallowed up by the sea
Brown questions Starmer’s ‘inner cabinet’ plan

An Anglian Water spokesperson said the “ongoing issues at Grimston pumping station are caused by surface and groundwater infiltration into our sewer network following the ongoing wet weather”.

“We’re working very closely with the Environment Agency to monitor the issue and have teams checking the site regularly. We’re currently using tankers to take the excess water away and create more capacity in the network.”

Click to subscribe to ClimateCast wherever you get your podcasts

Thames Water also apologised to people in Shrivenham “impacted by overflowing manholes this winter”.

“The heavy rainfall caused our local sewer system to overload, resulting in heavily diluted wastewater to escape from nearby manholes.”

It cited “higher-than-average long-term rainfall… with groundwater levels also normal to exceptionally high for the time of the year”.

It is planning to complete a £17m upgrade to the nearby including Witney Sewage Treatment Works this year, which “will give a 66% increase in treatment capacity by the end of this year”.

Watch The Climate Show with Tom Heap on Saturdays and Sundays at 3.30pm and 7.30pm on Sky News, on the Sky News website and app, and on YouTube and Twitter.

The show investigates how global warming is impacting people and the natural world, and highlights the solutions driving the transition away from fossil fuels.

Continue Reading

UK

Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

Published

on

By

Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.

Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.

Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.

The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Officers guard one of the crime scenes in Leeds
Image:
Officers guard one of the crime scenes

Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Image:
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds

Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.

“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.

“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

UK

Wrexham promoted for third season in a row under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

Published

on

By

Wrexham promoted for third season in a row under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

Wrexham AFC have been promoted for the third season in a row.

The North Wales-based side has gone from the National League to the Championship in just three seasons, under its Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Wrexham were second in the table and had a run of eight games unbeaten ahead of their match against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, which they won 3-0.

Wrexham's James McClean lifts the trophy after the Sky Bet League One match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham. Picture date: Saturday April 26, 2025.
Image:
Wrexham’s James McClean lifts the League One trophy. Pic: PA

Wrexham's Dan Scarr celebrates with the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Sky Bet Championship after the Sky Bet League One match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham. Picture date: Saturday April 26, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Wrexham. Photo credit should read: Martin Rickett/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.
Image:
Wrexham’s Dan Scarr celebrates with the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA

It is the first time any club has been promoted for three consecutive seasons within the top five tiers of English football.

The third oldest association football club in the world, Wrexham AFC was bought by Reynolds and McElhenney in 2020, and has since been the subject of a Disney+ documentary, Welcome To Wrexham.

Reynolds, wearing a Wrexham sweatshirt, and McElhenney were pictured celebrating each goal, and after the game, as the fans came onto the pitch at the SToK Cae Ras (Racecourse Ground) to celebrate the victory with the players.

Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (left) and Ryan Reynolds (right) and Ryan's wife Blake Lively before the Sky Bet League One match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham. Picture date: Saturday April 26, 2025.
Image:
Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (L) and Ryan Reynolds and Ryan’s wife Blake Lively, before the match. Pic: PA

Both stars came onto the pitch after the supporters returned to the stands.

More on Ryan Reynolds

Speaking to Sky Sports, McElhenney praised those behind the scenes, referring to “so many that don’t get the credit they deserve, people who aren’t talked about”.

Reynolds said bringing success back to the club “seemed like an impossible dream” when they arrived in North Wales in 2020.

Wrexham's Sam Smith celebrates in front of the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Sky Bet Championship after the Sky Bet League One match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham. Picture date: Saturday April 26, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Wrexham. Photo credit should read: Martin Rickett/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.
Image:
Wrexham’s Sam Smith celebrates in front of the fans after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA

He put the three promotions down to “the coaching staff, the greatest dressing room” and an “all for one, one for all” attitude throughout the club, adding he was “speechless with their commitment and their emotion”.

As for the mouth-watering prospect of another promotion to the promised land of the Premier League, the pair agreed it was “for tomorrow”, before ending the interview with a joint mic-drop.

Veteran striker Steven Fletcher said, “as soon as I came to this club, I knew it was something special. We want to go again. We’ll reset in the summer, take a break and go again”.

Continue Reading

UK

Direct action group Just Stop Oil holds final protest, claiming it has been ‘successful’

Published

on

By

Direct action group Just Stop Oil holds final protest, claiming it has been 'successful'

“It has been a success.”

Just Stop Oil (JSO) insists it’s been “successful” – as its members ceremoniously hang up their orange high-vis vests during a march in central London.

Since the group formed three years ago, it’s drawn attention and criticism for its colourful, controversial protests, which ranged from disrupting sporting events to throwing soup on Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, and climbing on gantries over the M25. It sprayed orange paint over Stonehenge, and cost police forces tens of millions of pounds.

Those days are now behind it; to the relief of many.

Read more
JSO co-founder wins court appeal
Activists target grave of Charles Darwin
77 year old JSO activist recalled to prison

As a few hundred activists marched through London on Saturday, blocking roads as they went; taxi drivers blared their horns and football fans shouted abuse from the pavement.

The PA News Agency filmed the moment a white minivan seemed to drive towards a group of protesters blocking the road.

Protesters shouted “I’m being pushed back!” to police, while the driver could be heard shouting “What about my right to get home?” to the officers gathered.

But JSO never set out to be popular. And it believes its tactics – though hated – have been successful; thanks to the new Labour government’s commitment to not issue new oil or gas exploration licences.

That’s why, it says, its ceasing direct action.

JSO hangs up its high vis jackets in central London on Saturday
Image:
JSO hangs up its high-vis jackets in central London on Saturday

A washing line of high-vis jackets signifies JSO's disbanding
Image:
A washing line of high-vis jackets signifies JSO’s disbanding

“This moment marks the success of the JSO campaign – our demand was to end new oil and gas licences and that is now government policy.

“As a result of which four billion barrels of oil are being kept under the North Sea. The campaign has reached a natural end.”

Dr Oscar Berglund, senior lecturer in international public and social policy, disagrees that JSO is disappearing because it’s been “successful”.

He told Sky News policing strength and public perception might have more to do with it.

“They have very low levels of popularity. About 17% of the British population are kind of broadly supportive of what Just Stop Oil do. And that’s too low to recruit.

“It’s difficult to recruit members to something that is that unpopular, and then that a lot of people for good reason I think have kind of stopped believing in that kind of disruption as a means to achieve meaningful change.”

Group triggers specific new protest laws

One thing it did change is the law.

Policing commentator Graham Wettone tells us: “Obstruction of the highway, obstruction of rail networks for example, these are specific offences now.

“It’s given the police more tactics, more methods, more offences they can consider, even stopping and searching somebody who may have something to either lock themselves on or glue themselves to something.”

A JSO activist holds a picture of an imprisoned colleague
Image:
A JSO activist holds a picture of an imprisoned colleague

Emma Smart was held in prison for her activism with both Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil.

“The high-vis might be going away,” she tells me, “but we aren’t.”

“These people aren’t going anywhere, we are still committed, dedicated, terrified by the failings of this government and governments around the world.”

JSO activists throw orange paint at van Gogh's sunflowers
Image:
JSO activists throw orange paint at van Gogh’s sunflowers

Orange smoke set off by JSO protesters at Stonehenge
Image:
Orange smoke set off by JSO protesters at Stonehenge

She hopes for a time of reflection before it returns in a new form but says the need for climate activism is stronger than ever.

She also believes that while most people dislike JSO tactics, it still raises awareness of the cause and might even push people to more moderate campaign groups.

Just Stop Oil came behind other, similarly controversial climate campaign groups like Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion, and as it says goodbye, its disruptive methods have been seized upon by other organisations like the Pro-Palestinian Youth Justice.

The infamous Just Stop Oil orange vests might be going away, but the individual activists, their cause and campaign tactics feel here to stay.

Continue Reading

Trending