Balmaclellan residents see gardens flooded by raw sewage

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Raw sewage has been flooding into the street in Balmaclellan. Used toilet paper and human faeces have been spotted coming out of a manhole near the village hall.

The problem has been going on for more than a week with one local claiming on social media: “The residents of Balmaclellan have had sewage water spewing from an overflowing manhole. “Until Thursday last week there has been used toilet paper collating in the road outside, travelling down the street and no doubt into gardens.” The problem was also described as a “health and safety issue” by concerned villagers.

One local resident, John Warburton, said: “Someone else reported water was coming out of the manhole cover and toilet paper was coming up. “Where we are surface water and sewage are shared drains once they get below a certain level. “I went to check on it to see if it’s to do with the hall but I think it’s the main drain on the street. “When I came back there was someone from I presume Scottish Water trying to pump it out and he said it was blocked and they’d have to get someone out to excavate it.” Balmaclellan Community Council chairman Martin Warnock said he had not seen the problem himself but had reported it to Scottish Water after being contacted by a local resident.

He believed some of the debris had been cleaned up, possibly by a council road sweeper. A spokeswoman for Scottish Water said: “Scottish Water are aware of a fault within the sewer network on Holmside, Balmaclennan and are planning to carry out a repair as soon as possible. “To keep the sewer flowing and ensure customers services are not impacted, our teams will be attending regularly until the repair is complete. “We will carry out regular clean-ups at those properties