Wild swimmers and wildlife are at risk, according to a Stroud Times’ reader, who spotted raw sewage escaping from the manhole covers into the nearby River Frome.
These photos were taken near Sainsbury’s in Stroud from the bridge by the road crossing by Ebley Meadows.
The unnamed reader said: “It was not a pleasant site and is a health risk for people who enjoy wild swimming in the river.”
A spokesperson for Severn Trent said: “This is why we are investing £25 million to improve the sewer network in Stroud, which is currently unable to cope with periods of heavy rainfall, as has been the case recently.
“We are working hard to make sure that in the future this kind of incident doesn’t happen. We have major work underway right now which will provide those living in Stroud with a sewer network with more capacity, helping to protect the environment as well as homes and businesses from blockages, flooding and incidents such as this, where the old system has been unable to cope.
“We’re fully aware of this particular issue and our teams will be on site as soon as possible to rectify and clean up.”
