Interview: The reality of tankers at the pumping station

How frustrated were you when there were traffic lights and tankers in the middle of Chilbolton? Delayed by minute or two? We spoke with Joanna and Brian McMenemy, of Abbots Rest opposite the pumping station, to find out how much worse things could be.

Joanna, when we asked what was it like, was blunt - “It was an absolute pain. When the pumping station struggled to cope, the rise in the level of groundwater meant there was sewage on our drive and in our garden, complete with toilet paper”.

Brian added “The effect of this was that we couldn’t walk down the side of our house or get to our home office, which is where I work”.

The McMenemys also had to fence off that area to stop their dog roaming through the sewage. From January to April this year, they have had fifteen episodes of flooding, and engineers called out twenty times during that period. The reason for this was that the pump house continues to fail.

The couple also have a well - as the groundwater rises, so does the water in the well. They have a pump to prevent their house flooding, but Joanna pointed out “When the pump house can’t cope, our pump becomes ineffective”.

The tankers that relieved the situation round the clock also brought their own problems. “The level of the truck cabs is the same as our bedroom windows,” said Brian, “and our daughter’s room is also at the front. Our sleep was disturbed for nights on end”.

Joanna added that the flashing lights on the trucks “is like having a disco in the bedroom”.

The traffic lights made things even worse - it was dangerous for them leaving their home. To add insult to injury, some impatient drivers would toot their horns at them.

For most villagers now, it would appear that the problems have gone away, but this is not the case. Brian told us “There’s an extra pump now at the pumping station, but this is very noisy and cuts in and out twenty-four hours a day. Overnight this regularly wakes us up”.

Many people would be bitter and angry in this situation but Joanna and Brian are patient and thoughtful. Joanna said “The people we’ve dealt with - truck drivers, engineers, and Southern Water Executive Complaints - they’re all very pleasant. But at the end of the day nothing has changed”.

What do they think should be done? Southern Water have told them that putting a new, more powerful pump in at the station, on its own, wouldn’t solve the problem. The sewerage which surrounds the station are “pitch pipes”.

Brian repeated what he had said at the Parish Assembly - “Pitch pipes were used from the fifties to the seventies, when they were phased out. They’re weak and some of the them contain asbestos. If the pump-house were upgraded, these pipes would likely fail”. The recent hole outside their home, was because of a total collapse of one of these pipes.

As to building more houses in Chilbolton, Joanna says “I don’t understand how this can even be contemplated when the infrastructure cannot cope with the houses that are already here. A lot of people have worked really hard planning and promoting the new development, but they’ve got it the wrong way round. Why can’t that time and energy be put into sorting out existing issues in the village”.

What happens next? Brian says “I was told by the Chief Executive Officer at Southern Water that Chilbolton is one of six sites for investment and that money is available. We should be lobbying to put our village at the top of that list”.

At the Parish Assembly, Parish Councillors committed to another meeting, at which there would be senior representation from Southern Water to explain what the problems are and what can be done. From what Joanna and Brian told chilbolton.news, they’re sure to be there.