'Strong toxic smell' as 'untreated sewage' kills fish in Hastings pond

Eoin Freeman, of Hare Way, said that over the last week there has been a ‘strong toxic smell and untreated sewage’ in the stream that runs south through Old Roar Gill and Coronation Wood Nature Reserve into Buckshole Reservoir.

He wrote to borough councillors Paul Foster, John Rankin, Andy Batsford and Peter Pragnell to inform them of the problem.

Eoin said: “On Sunday evening (May 14) while I was walking my dog I came across two sewage trucks in Old Roar Road. I managed to speak to the three workmen present who confirmed my concerns that there was sewage in the stream, Southern Water were aware and there was other sewage trucks and engineers tackling the problem from the other side.

"I was notified by another resident there were two further sewage trucks at the junction of Sedlescombe Road North and Old Roar Road at the same time.

"I’ve raised my concern on our local social media group for awareness of any dog walkers and anyone using the Old Roar Gill, especially those with respiratory problems and young children.

"I’ve taken the time to notify the Environment Agency and await their response.

"I personally it concerning with two young children and with the additional houses being developed in Harrow Lane, just how the additional sewage will be treated in the near future.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said: “We are working around the clock to clear a watercourse of pollution after a blockage caused a manhole to spill into Bucks Hole Pond.

“We’re investigating whether this could have led to fish being found dead in the pond, and we’re working closely with the Environment Agency on this issue.

“We are doing everything we can to minimise the environmental impact of this pollution to the watercourse. We're would like to reassure our customers we are working as quickly as possible to ensure any environmental impact is kept to a minimum, as part of this we are monitoring any potential impacts to watercourses in the area through carrying out additional sampling.

“We’re also keeping local residents up-to-date and have knocked the doors of 40 homes in Ghyllside Avenue and Vale Road.

“The blockage, that caused the issue, was from a build-up of materials gathering in the sewer, including wet-wipes, fat grease and other materials.

“We’re investing £15m into digital sewer monitors to help find blockages like this when they happen, the impact of blockages caused by unflushable items can be severe and across our network there have been more than 95,000 sewer blockages over the past five years.”