TOWN councillors are continuing to press for an alternative solution to proposed sewage treatment works for Aldeburgh.Aldeburgh Town Council appointed its own consultants to look at the issue after Anglian Water submitted proposals involving piping sewage up to Thorpeness for secondary treatment before returning it to the town.

TOWN councillors are continuing to press for an alternative solution to proposed sewage treatment works for Aldeburgh.

Aldeburgh Town Council appointed its own consultants to look at the issue after Anglian Water submitted proposals involving piping sewage up to Thorpeness for secondary treatment before returning it to the town.

The water company's proposals, which are opposed by the town council, are likely to be considered by Suffolk County Council's development control sub-committee at their meeting on July 23.

The company is obliged to introduce secondary treatment to comply with new EC regulations.

But a "fourth option" submitted to the various consultees by Stephen Hawes Associates calls for the use of Pasveer or oxygenation ditches to deal with the waste as an alternative to pumping it up to Thorpeness and back then transporting biosolids to a site at Ipswich.

The method was tried in the 1960s in the town, and Mr Hawes wants to revive the idea using modern materials and know-how.

"Since the original Pasveer ditch was installed in Aldeburgh in the 60s, there has been a substantial increase in knowledge of soil mechanics coupled with the use of Geotextiles and Geogrids," he pointed out.

"This is a great opportunity for a comprehensive sustainable environmental solution to the wastewater treatment in this area."

A spokeswoman for Anglian Water said there were "major hurdles" to overcome for such an option to be acceptable, and consultees such as the Environment Agency, Suffolk County Council and English Nature would need to be convinced.

A suggestion that sewage sludge could go onto nearby agricultural land rather than be transported out was "absolutely out of the question" because of legislation, she said. She added that they would need something more than just the Pasveer ditch to deal with the sewage.

"It's possible but it would need more treatment and you are still left with having to export biosolids from the site," she said.

"It's never simple. We do try and take on board all these points. At the end of the day, legislation has to be met."