Residents and holidaymakers faced a foul-smelling river of sewage and water running through a Cornish street during the busy bank holiday weekend.
Pictures taken in Fowey show a stream flowing along the pavement in Fore Street, passing directly outside homes and businesses in the popular town. Toilet paper could be seen scattered across the road, while dirty water continued to flow along the edge of the pavement.
One witness said the sewage began running through the town at around 3pm on Monday, just as the streets were reaching “prime footfall”. The incident came after Cornwall experienced several periods of heavy rain during the bank holiday weekend, following months of unusually hot and dry weather. The Met Office recorded rainfall in Fowey at around 8pm on Sunday and again at approximately 2am on Monday.
South West Water (SWW) said what entered Fore Street was “final effluent”, meaning cleaned and treated water, after high tides and heavy rainfall put “significant pressure” on the local sewer network. The water company said it inspected the Town Quay pumping station following the incident but found “no issues”.
The incident also comes amid recent sewage discharge reports at Town Quay pumping station. Data from Surfers Against Sewage and SWW shows a discharge lasting one hour and 40 minutes on Tuesday morning, while records show sewage was discharged for more than seven hours on Monday, August 31.
SWW explained that when the sewer system becomes too full, particularly following heavy rainfall, storm overflows can release excess water. The company says the system is designed to prevent sewage from backing up and flooding into homes and gardens. However, the sight of wastewater running through one of Fowey’s busiest streets has raised concerns, particularly during the bank holiday period when the town was packed with residents and visitors.
Sewage and Water Flood Busy Fowey Street