This is what York residents and business owners on one York street were faced with today (Tuesday).
Raw sewage was strewn along King Street and onto King’s Staith.
Pedestrians walking by the river were left to tiptoe through the filth, and one told YorkMix: “In this day and age, it’s unacceptable.”
The sewage had been pushed up through the drains by high water levels, before spilling onto King Street, flowing next to The Waterfront bar and near to the King’s Arms.
Shaun Binns, owner of The Waterfront bar, told YorkMix: “It’s just disgusting. It’s raw sewage and it’s running down the street and down into the river.
“It’s from all the businesses on the top of the street and it just happens every time the river comes up. Yorkshire Water seem to sort it – and then they neglect it rather than coming and keeping an upkeep on the drains.”
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When the same thing has happened in better weather, he has had to close down the outdoor eating area in front of The Waterfront. “It’s shocking, absolutely shocking,” Shaun said.
“You just can’t get anywhere with Yorkshire Water. They just pass you from pillar to post.”
He added: “There’s no reason why they couldn’t come in the morning and pump the manholes out, and then again on an evening with one of those big tankers.
“They must be getting enough money. I know what I pay for Yorkshire Water for my bars and restaurants down on this river front. And they’ve got all the other places as well.”
And he wondered what the regulators the Environment Agency were doing.
“It’s raw sewage running into a river. You would think they would get it sorted. If we chucked something in that river, I’m sure people would be down and prosecute us.”
Shaun added: “I do feel angry and frustrated. It’s horrible. It doesn’t look good – it looks a mess.”
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said: “The prolonged period of heavy rain and the rapid rise of the river are likely to have impacted the normal functioning of the network, which has caused the sewer to back up and lift the manhole on King Street.
“We understand sewer escapes such as this are unpleasant and we will be sending teams to the area to conduct a clean-up, as well as to investigate and resolve the cause of the escape.”
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We have asked Yorkshire Water to deal with this incident immediately and will be carrying out further investigations into the cause of this leak.
“The Environment Agency is working actively with Yorkshire Water to ensure overflows in York are properly controlled and the harm they do to the environment stopped.”
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