City residents whose drains have overflowed with raw sewage during prolonged wet weather are calling on Southern Water to make urgent improvements to the sewage system.

People living near the River Grom in Tunbridge Wells say local sewers have burst more than 30 times in five years, flooding homes and polluting the environment.

Heavy rain in September flooded the basement of a property with floodwater more than 12 inches (30.4cm) deep, causing tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Southern Water said it was committed to putting an end to floods like this.

Local resident Caroline Hutt still had water in her basement six weeks after her home was flooded with a mixture of rainwater and sewage.

“It wasn’t easy,” says Ms. Hutt, who arranged a renewal with her insurance company after the Sept. 22 flood.

Resident Orla Finn says sewage water also flows directly into the Grom River from the manhole next to her house.

“They (Southern Water) need to disinfect the entire area and clean up all the tissues, toilet paper and anything else that comes out of the drain,” he said.

Southern Water said its £1.5bn plan for clean rivers and seas would help prevent surface water from entering sewers and overloading them.

The company also agreed that its network of pipes, pump stations and treatment sites needed to be improved.

“That’s why we plan to spend more than £4bn developing this business over the next five years,” a spokesman said.

But Ripple Effect Project volunteers, who are concerned about the state of the rivers, say the Grom is also polluted downstream.

A video shot in September showed rainwater mixing with untreated sewage and gushing into the Grom from another manhole.

Southern Water said the root of the manhole was damaged and crews were working on a long-term solution.

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