East Lothian residents outrage over 'tankers pumping sewage at bottom of gardens'

Angry residents in a small East Lothian village are having to endure tankers pumping raw sewage at the bottom of their gardens after nearly 100 houses were built without a mains link.

The waste collections take place on land that is supposed to be a children’s play area but, after housing developers Bellway were unable to link their new homes to a mains sewage system as initially planned, it is used as access to the local sewage tank.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, tankers arrive to pump the contents out of one underground container before dumping them into main drains in a different part of the developer’s site.

Villagers say the smell caused by the regular trips is unbearable at times, while the noise generated by the tankers can go on for hours.

Graham Drummond, whose home backs onto the collection site, said that on some Mondays, the visits go on all day.

He said: “After the weekend, in particular, they make several trips and can be here from 9 in the morning til late afternoon pumping out the sewage.

Sewage being pumped from the bottom of gardens in East Lothian LDRS

“It can create a smell and is noisy; it makes using our garden impossible, and we are concerned it will carry in until the summer as there seems to be no solution coming forward to solve the problem.”

Earlier this month, East Lothian councillors delayed a decision about building more houses on Bellway’s new estate after hearing the sewage issue was causing anxiety among residents.

They heard it was not the only issue to raise concerns in the village after flooding issues were highlighted by residents living in homes south of the homes already built.

Homeowners in Waterloo Place, in the village, say their gardens remain waterlogged every time it rains after the developer built more than 80 homes on the site, which was agricultural land.

They are demanding more action be taken to protect the village’s residents before plans for another 111 homes on the site are approved.

Rob Moore said the suds ponds created at the bottom of the field were not stopping water from pouring into gardens in his street, and no solution was forthcoming.

Residents in Elphinstone are angry developers are pushing ahead with plans to remove woodlands and create a footpath over their amenity land LDRS

He and his neighbours are infuriated after Bellway applied for permission to create a footpath from the new homes through their street, requiring the cutting down of a small woodland and the loss of a grass play area.

Rob said: “This is a prime example of what happens if you build on agricultural land, taking away the natural protection. Our gardens are waterlogged and nothing is being done to fix it.

“Now Bellway want to push ahead and create a footpath which will remove more woodlands and cross amenity land which belongs to our homes.

“No more housing should be allowed on this site until a proper enquiry into what has gone on so far has been carried out. The council should not allow the development to continue.”

Graham mirrors the views of residents in Waterloo Place as he faces regular sewage uplifts at the end of his garden.

He said: “It beggars belief that houses on this estate were signed off and people allowed to move in without all of them being connected to a mains sewage. The council needs to take action now before anything else is allowed to happen here.”

Bellway said it is installing pumps on the site to eliminate the need for tankers while it awaits the go-ahead from the Highways Department to undertake roadworks to connect to the village’s main sewage system.

They said: “Regretfully we can only fully connect the sewer when granted permission to do so that is outside of our control.”

On the issues at Waterloo Place, they declined to comment, saying it was a live planning matter.

A spokesperson for the company said of the sewage situation: “Bellway has been addressing concerns of the local authority and residents on the site waste solution.

“The approved design for the site has two connection points at Elphinstone which connects to the Scottish Water drainage network. One of these was connected in May and June and this takes a portion of the site waste and it is working as designed.

“The connection of the second connection to the waste network has been delayed due to external issues in connecting the system. It is a complex piece of work which has been delayed and we intend to resume these works again in the New Year.

“As a result of the delay initially, we implemented the chamber and tanker solution. When the chamber fills we vacuum this to the other chamber on site, which discharges into the existing drainage network. We are currently installing underground pumps on site as an interim measure until the second connection to the waste network is completed, which will negate the need for the tanker solution.”