A TEMPORARY solution has been found to tackle the overloaded sewerage system on the Great Western Park estate in Didcot.

In April it emerged tankers had been installed at a pumping station near the estate to ensure excess water did not overflow on to streets in Tower Gardens.

Oxfordshire County Councillor for Didcot West Nick Hards urged Thames Water, South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) and developers Taylor Wimpey to tackle the problem.

Now, water and sewerage contractor for the site Scottish and Southern Electricity (SSE) has installed a temporary storage tank and pumping station able to service 1,200 homes.

About 500 homes have now been linked to the system, which will hold the excess sewage until it is pumped into Thames Water’s exisiting network.

But Mr Hards said a large diameter pipe needed to be built to cater for the 3,500 homes planned for the estate.

After tankers were brought in Didcot Town Council raised objections to an application for the latest new homes to be built at the Great Western Park estate.

Mr Hards said the council had now been asked to withdraw its objection after a temporary solution was identified.

He added: “Taylor Wimpey and other parties have come up with a detailed plan to tackle excess sewage on Great Western Park.

“The basic arrangement is that they have installed some very large tanks to make sure that anything excessive goes down to the Mendip Heights pumping station. But they will eventually need a big pipe to be built.

“I’m pleased that a temporary solution has been found – Thames Water could have had a problem this winter because before long there will be over 700 houses on the estate.”

An SSE spokesman said: “We are in negotiations with Thames Water on behalf of the developer in respect of the permanent solution which will take the flows directly to Didcot Sewage Treatment Works.”

Earlier this year, town councillors also objected to proposals for the new University Technical College on the estate on the grounds the estate sewerage system would not be able to cope.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesman and the Great Western Park Consortium said in April the overall network and any upgrades were the responsibility of Thames Water, adding the consortium paid the company infrastructure charges.

Thames Water said at the time the sewerage network on the Great Western Park estate was constructed and is owned by the developer, Taylor Wimpey, and that sewage is managed by SSE as the developer’s chosen utility provider for that site.

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