‘Repulsive’ raw sewage stink in North Yorkshire village forces resident to flee house

Jul 21, 2023

Fri 4 Aug 2023 @ 5:33pm - NewsStuart Minting – Local Democracy Reporter

A stink of raw sewage plaguing a picturesque North Yorkshire village is so bad it forced one resident out of his house and into the rain.

Residents of Topcliffe, near Thirsk, say they have repeatedly alerted Yorkshire Water to the frequently intolerable odour.

Yet it has taken no effective action – showing it ‘puts it shareholders before its customers’, they say.

Topcliffe Parish Council’s chairman Jamie Moores said the authority had received numerous apologies from Yorkshire Water, along with promises to fix the problem at a sewage pumping station.

But the pledges had all been followed by “failure to act with further promises of action”.

He said: “I do not find this acceptable at all. Yorkshire Water is treating its customers with contempt and it is clear to me that action is long overdue.”

Resident Andrew Eckersley said he and his neighbours in the Front Street area suffered the stench of raw sewage bubbling up through the drains into their homes every time Yorkshire Water decided to pump out its sewage holding tank, which could be several times a week.

He said while in the past expensive chemicals had been added to the raw sewage at the Topcliffe pumping station to mitigate the odours, Yorkshire Water had stopped doing so.

Mr Eckersley said: “The smells have got worse and worse since Yorkshire Water took ownership of the pumping station about ten years ago.

“They have spent no money on it and given every reason under the sun for the smells, but have never sorted the issue.

“Over lockdown it was horrendous as everyone was stuck at home. Yesterday it was so repulsive I could not stay in my house, so I had to stand in the rain.

“Yorkshire Water keep promising to get the issue sorted, but what they don’t realise is the misery they are inflicting on people every time they delay works.”

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said the firm understood “how distressing odours from the sewer network can be for local residents” and that it woulc be carrying out investigation work next week to begin the process of upgrading the pumping station.

He added: “Since customers and Topcliffe Parish Council first contacted us about this issue we have tried to keep them regularly updated on progress and have implemented a range of measures, including flushing the rising main and chlorine dosing, to alleviate the odour problems.”

Fri 4 Aug, 2023