Anglian Water apologises to Wellingborough residents over huge temporary sewage pipe installed by their Stanton Cross homes

Anglian Water says a large pipe laid out across a public walkway on a new development is a ‘short-term solution’ to a broken section of the sewage system.

The temporary pipe stretches across Wellingborough’s Stanton Cross development.

With some homes directly opposite the work taking place, it creates quite an eyesore for those who are settling into their new home.

One resident told the Northants Telegraph: “We had a letter just saying ‘sorry for the works’ and given a hamper to say sorry, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’ve got this outside of our house.

"We have people plowing up the front of our house to try and park to deliver things. It’s not great but I understand it needs to be done.”

Anglian Water insists that the work is temporary, with a spokesman saying: “It is difficult to give timescales at this stage, as it depends on the extent of the repair required, we currently estimate the work will take around eight weeks.

"Taking everything into account, we believe the pipe will be in place until the end of March.”

The hamper to say sorry, consisting of jams, crackers, wine, biscuits and chocolates, was given to people who’s homes were facing the pipework, with one resident adding: “It was a lovely hamper but I’d rather not have the hamper and not have that [the sewage pipe].”

Properties on Wendelburie Rise from developer Bovis Homes, some costing in excess of £500,000, are directly adjacent to the temporary pipe.

Without the work taking place, the water company says a burst in the sewer system could lead to loss of residents’ facilities and risk of pollution to the environment.

A spokesman for Anglian Water said: “We’ll keep people updated as our understanding of the problem develops.

"We are treating the permanent fix as an emergency and will continue to work as quickly as possible to fix the damaged sewer.”

They added: “We would like to apologise for the disruption our work is causing residents in the area.

"We understand both the visual impact and general disruption this is causing and we thank our customers in advance for their patience and understanding.”