A BURST sewage pipe unleashed unsanitary havoc for residents of Thurbans Road, Farnham, following its eruption last Thursday evening. Four houses were in the immediate vicinity of the effluent, which seeped into nearby gardens, down a public footpath and onto nearby Greenfield Road. "There was an unpleasant smell, and I was sitting here blaming my children," said Claire Hudson. "My husband came home at about 7 pm and he phoned me from outside, saying 'You'd better have a look at this!'" "We phoned Waverley Borough Council's emergency helpline immediately and they were here within an hour to unblock the blockage down the alley and to sweep some back into the manhole from the paths." Following an inspection the next day, WBC decreed the situation to be the responsibility of Thames Water, and despite several calls from Claire and her neighbours, the detritus remained untouched until Monday afternoon. "There was raw sewage in my garden and there were all sorts of things on my neighbours lawn like sanitary towels and condoms. I have a son who is recovering from an operation with an open wound, and it's not very safe for him, is it?" During a visit on Monday afternoon, a three- man team from Thames Water made a start on the clean up operation, and the process was complete on Tuesday morning. A statement from Thames Water said: "We were contacted about the leaking sewage on Thurbans Road just before 11 am on Friday July 1. A blockage crew was despatched and discovered that the sewage pipe had been blocked by a plug of tree roots. "Normally, the blockages we deal with involve household items like nappies that have become stuck or fat that has been poured down drains and then coagulated but a build- up of tree roots as in this case is relatively rare. "The exteriors of four properties were affected by the leaking sewage escaping from two manholes and over the next four days the waste was cleaned up by Thames Water teams from the road and around the properties. "We are contacting all the residents that have been affected in person to apologise."
