WATER chiefs came under fire last night after sewage seeped onto a playing area.

Heavy rain on Monday night caused a pumping station at Kings Field in Aldeburgh to overflow.

Yesterday eyewitnesses reported seeing sewage on top of the grass and running close to allotments.

Last night a spokesman for Anglian Water said engineers were quickly on site to clean up the mess, which posed no risk to the surrounding area and did not reach a nearby dyke.

But Lindsay Lee, clerk to Aldeburgh Town Council, said similar problems had happened every year for the last four years and she claimed Anglian Water had not taken the action necessary to prevent it.

“The thing is, it’s avoidable,” she said.

“On each of the occasions it has happened I have spoken to the operatives who clear the drain and they have all said it would not occur if Anglian Water maintained them on a regular basis – but they don’t and they become completely blocked so that when it rains the sewage pours out of the mancover.

“This time there was raw sewage lying on top of the grass and running through allotments.

“Its unacceptable. Not only is there a safety aspect because it’s a public playing field but this area is also incredibly important for wildlife.”

A spokesman for Anglian Water said he did not think any of the sewage had reached allotments.

“A localised downpour cleared a number of partial blockages out of the pipes and the sudden influx of water and materials not suitable for the sewers, such as congealed cooking fats, caused the pumping station to overflow,” he said.

“We have cleaned up the spillage, which flowed onto a grass bank around the pump station and have worked closely with the Environment Agency, who are satisfied that no pollution was caused to a dyke in the area.”

A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency said they were aware of the incident but it had not caused any problems from their point of view.