Company blunder leaves raw sewage on Warwickshire farm for a month

Nick Dodd, who runs Pool Farm in Haseley Knob near Honiley, said he had alerted water provider Severn Trent to the problem on November 19 - but they told him they were taking time over fixing it because they were shopping around to compare prices quoted by different contractors.

He told the Courier: “It’s a relatively new pipeline which goes across the farm. I noticed that there was an air valve which was faulty.

“It was blowing sewage out on to the farm. This was raw, intreated sewage. You could smell it from my house.”

Mr Dodd said he was unable to keep his livestock on that field as he normally does - and he also pointed out that on the other side of the road, there is a Severn Trent-owned farm which is next to Haseley Water Gathering Ground.

He said: “So whether the people of Leamington have been drinking raw sewage, I don’t know.

“Severn Trent told me hat they were applying for quotes on how much it would cost to repair it. Surely this was an emergency repair?

“I have been treated reprehensively by Severn Trent.”

Mr Dodd, who has farmed on that site for 25 years, said that because of the inconvenience to his business, he intends to sue Severn Trent.

He said: “It’s always an inconvenience to not be able to use a part of your farm. I have told them there will be a claim. It’s going to cost them a lot more than it could have if they had dealt with it straight away.”

The company sent workers out to repair the damaged valve last Monday (December 16) - four weeks after the problem was first reported. Mr Dodd said this had happened after he had told the company that he would be contacting the Courier about its failure to repair the damage up to that point.

A spokeswoman for Severn Trent said: “We’d like to say sorry to Mr Dodd. We haven’t dealt with a problem with a valve on a sewage pipe as quickly we should have done. This was due to a breakdown in communication with our teams.

“We have now completed our work to repair the damaged valve. We’re also working together with Mr Dodd to help make sure that he doesn’t experience any further problems.”