THE repairs to Folly Hill’s collapsed sewer have taken major turn after Thames Water assessed that a 180 metre section of pipe in Farnham Park will have to be dug out and “replaced in its entirety”.

After a further CCTV survey of the damaged sewer, Thames Water has concluded that the 180m section of pipe is too badly damaged for re-lining and will have to be replaced, requiring the further removal of scrub from the ancient park to gain access to the sewer.

However, the existing temporary HGV roadway into the park will not need to be extended as the water company says it can use a tracked excavator “with minimal ground disturbance”.

It comes after human excrement and other detritus was seen gushing out of a manhole cover in Farnham Park in mid-December 15, flooding public footpaths and polluting the Nadder stream feeding into the River Wey.