Park submerged in 'poo and loo roll' as weather causes drains to overflow

02 January 2024 , 19:01

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Roads and the park were flooded in Bournville, Birmingham (Image: No credit)

Heavy rain caused "raw sewage" to bubble up from a drain leaving a city park submerged in filthy water this afternoon.

The country has faced downpours all day as Storm Henk makes its way across the nation. In Bournville Park, Birmingham, walkers were disgusted to find the beauty spot covered in dirty water in which they spotted toilet rolls and sanitary products floating. What they described as 'raw sewage' was bubbling from a drain flooding paths in the popular park.

Paul, 52, a Bournville resident, posted the video this afternoon on X with the caption 'Hi Severn Trent Water, raw sewage is coming out of the drains in Bournville Park, not for the first time. Can you set out what you are doing to stop this happening again?'

The unpleasant video, as well as footage from BirminghamLive, also shows flooded roads and paths outside the park as well. Paul said: "I was walking through the park at around 12.34 PM when I saw brown sewage with poo, tampons and loo roll on the path. There was no smell as it was raining too heavily. This has happened before as the area tends to get flooded, a sign even warns about it. A runner was coming and I told him to go the other way. I just turned back as well. Severn Trent did get back very quickly saying they will send someone out within four hours to fix it."

Elsewhere in Birmingham, a hero saved a child and a driver from their car after it became submerged in floodwater (WMP)

The park is not far from the popular landmark Cadbury World, with the Bourn Brook running through the park to the attraction. This is one of many flooding spots across the country, including Warwickshire and Worcestershire as Storm Henk was announced. The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings as heavy wind and rain have been battering parts of the UK.

Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts

There are currently 14 flood alerts in place. A Severn Trent spokesperson said: "We're aware of the flooding in Bournville Park and we're sorry for the impact it's having, our teams will be attending as soon as possible. While we'll confirm what's caused it, it looks like the heavy rain we're currently experiencing has overloaded the network, causing the flooding."

"Our teams will be checking our network to confirm what's happened, and will also carry out a full clean up once the flooding has stopped to make sure everything is back to normal as soon as possible."

Husna Anjum