Alfold Gardens Inundated with Sewage After Storm Bert Rainfall

Gardens in a Surrey village were submerged in sewage and soiled toilet paper after heavy rainfall during Storm Bert led to overflowing drains. Residents of Alfold, located near Cranleigh, informed BBC Radio Surrey that the incident occurred on Wednesday, shortly after they had installed their outdoor Christmas lights. Alfold Parish Council reported that seventeen homes in the area had been significantly impacted by the severe weather conditions last week. Thames Water issued an apology and stated its intention to re-line its pipes to prevent groundwater from entering the sewers. Catherine Urben, who has children aged one and two, recounted discovering her property in Clappers Meadow inundated with sewage reaching her front door upon descending stairs in the morning. She commented, “We put the Christmas tree up two days before all of this happened – not a good start.” Ms. Urben also noted that a similar flooding event occurred in March. Ms. Urben stated that she contacted Thames Water for assistance on Wednesday, but did not receive a response until the subsequent afternoon. She recounted, “Luckily it drained by 6pm but I was just left with chunks of dirty toilet paper all over my property.” She added, “We’re just getting fed up of it now.” Alisha Russell, a neighbour, observed that flooding occurs “any time we have heavy rain.” However, on Wednesday morning, her husband discovered “the whole front garden submerged in sewage.” She described the situation, stating, “All of our Christmas lights were under water. It’s awful.” In an official statement, Thames Water expressed regret, attributing the incident to heavy rainfall from Storm Bert, which “caused our sewer system to overload, resulting in diluted wastewater to escape from manholes.” The company further stated, “We have made plans to re-line our pipes located behind Clappers Orchard, to prevent groundwater from infiltrating the sewers.” The utility provider also indicated its intention to examine the volume of surface water originating from a private pumping station within the village, as well as the broader network, in order to “understand the mechanisms of flooding in this area.”