Burst sewage pipe pollutes Looe as townsfolk kick up a stink over lorries

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A burst sewer pipe in Looe has caused major disruption for locals. The burst pipe, near the boat yard was first reported to South West Water (SWW) on Tuesday, October 8.

The water company has been using tankers to remove flow from the sewage pumping station while they work on repairing the broken pipe. The cause of the burst has not been clarified but crews are investigating it and working to quickly fix it, according to the water company.

While SWW warned of congestion, locals have complained of "day and night" disruption from the tankers. A number of residents in Looe have complained about the tankers which are removing the sewage but are noisy and interrupting people's sleep.

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One person said: "I live within 10-15 metres of where clear flow tankers have been pumping out day and night and haven’t once had a member of SWW or clearflow staff knock on my door to explain or apologise for the noise day and night".

Another person said: "How many days and nights is this going to take ?? My son’s flat is literally next to the car park and him and other residents in lane are getting no sleep as lorries 24 hrs a day, continuously?"

South West Water issued a statement warning residents of potential disruption as they work on fixing the burst pipe. It said: "Our teams are working to repair a burst sewer pipe at the boat yard in Looe which was reported to us yesterday.

"We are using tankers to remove flows from the sewage pumping station while our teams investigate and carry out a repair. The tankering may cause congestion to traffic in the following locations: West Looe Road, the main Looe Bridge and the main road into West Looe.

"We are sorry for any inconvenience and would like to thank local residents for their patience while we work to resolve this as quickly as we can."

MP for South East Cornwall, Anna Gelderd told local residents she is working with South West Water to resolve the burst pipe problem. She highlighted her concern about the impact on the environment, and aims to work alongside SWW to minimise the effects to the area.

Ms Gelderd said: "I’m aware of the burst sewer pipe at the boatyard in Looe and have been in touch with South West Water (SWW), who are already on-site working to fix the issue.

"I share concerns about both the environmental impact and the disruption to local residents, businesses, and visitors. If you can, please avoid these roads to help SWW complete the repairs as quickly as possible.

"I’ll continue to work with SWW to ensure the impact is minimised and will keep you updated with any further developments. I know this is frustrating, and I appreciate the community’s patience and understanding during this time."

SWW has an interactive map of storm overflows across Devon and Cornwall. While their map shows that Looe, specifically East Looe, is an area for 'designating bathing water' there is no warning or alert for the current burst sewer. Although the SWW map has no reference to the burst sewer, they do link to the EA pollution warning.

The Environment Agency (EA) issued a pollution alert for Looe on Tuesday, October 8, which is still in place. It said: "Bathing is not advised, due to pollution from sewage. Incident started October 8th 2024 10:26."