BORDON residents were forced to call out the Environment Agency and Thames Water following a recurrence of a drainage problem that saw sewage pumping directly into the Deadwater Valley River from the supply pipe on Tuesday.
The problem has been ongoing for at least 13 years and little has been done to resolve the situation.
John Lennox lives in one of the houses in Rivermead, off Mill Chase Road, where the problem was spotted frequently.
He said: "The problem is with the man-holes in the front garden. When the foul water is blocked in the storm drain it flows into the Deadwater river. It happens two or three times a year. Everyone has drain problems but it's not good when you see sewage pouring into the river."
In the past Thames Water has taken up to a day to come out, and the Environment Agency, is based in Camberley, so by the time they get to the problem, Thames Water have already cleaned it up.
Experts from Thames Water came out on Tuesday and will continue to assess the problem before deciding on the best course of action. They need to ascertain what is causing the blockage. Local residents suspect disposable nappies may be at the root of the problem.
"The sewage comes back up through the system so we can't use the shower, flush the toilets or use the washing machine," explained Mrs Lennox. "This makes life difficult when you have young children."
According to local residents, the problems were acerbated when the additional houses were built at Beavers Mews.
The drain problems are only part of the problem at that stretch of the river. "It's not just the sewage, it is also the amount of general rubbish that is being chucked in the river. We get all sorts; car parts, trolleys. It's disgusting. It's a continuous problem," said Mr Lennox.
"Something also needs to be done at Mill Chase. Someone from the Deadwater Valley Trust needs to talk to the pupils about the effects of pollution."
He continued: "There's no way the river should be this murky colour, it's stagnant. It used to be full of crayfish. They are destroying the environment down here but other parts of the river are flowing nicely, this part just seems to get forgotten about."
Mr Lennox also spoke of his concerns about hogweed growing freely by the river. In his native Scotland, this plant has become such a problem that the local council is spending millions removing it.
The effects of hogweed are potentially very dangerous. It contains a substance within its sap that makes the skin sensitive to ultra violet light. Contact between the skin and the sap of this species can happen by simply brushing against the bristles on the stem (as with a stinging nettle) or breaking the stem or leaves.
"I've noticed how much it has grown in recent months and something needs to be done to stop it spreading further because the effects are horrible," Mr Lennox warned.