Sewage backing up into Ickleton gardens

Sewage has blighted the South Cambridgeshire village of Ickleton.

A number of gardens and local roads have been hit by household wastewater.

Anglian Water says it follows "unprecedented" rainfall with nowhere for the excess water to go.

We understand the network is still working, but the "sheer volume" of water means sewage is backing up.

Officials say the issues in Ickleton are being echoed across Cambridgeshire and the East.

An Anglian Water spokesperson spoke to Star:

"Our teams continue to work incredibly hard to keep our sewer network running despite the persistent bad weather we’ve seen this winter. 

"In Ickleton, the ongoing rainfall combined with the already saturated ground, mean that we’re seeing widespread infiltration of excess water into our sewer network - there is simply a lot of water with nowhere to go.

“It means that while our network is operating the best it can, there's much less room for the sewage, which can cause problems with flushing toilets, or using showers and washing machines, particularly if they are downstairs.

"Responsibility for flooding and drainage requires response from many different organisations, businesses, and landowners, and it will take a combined response from all involved to put together a plan to address the issue in the long term."

Anglian Water says it is speaking directly with councillors to address the concerns of residents.

The company also says it is addressing future resilience with local partner agencies.

Cambridgeshire's water network has been put to the test of late.

Here are some of the challenges our pipes are facing:

• Ten named storms since September 2023 - with one bringing a month's worth of rain in a week
• The wettest year on record for our region (2023)
• The warmest and wettest February (2024) on record for our region

Anglian Water flooding guidance can be found here.