£6,600 sewage bill shock (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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£6,600 sewage bill shock
11:43am Friday 13th April 2007 in News By Ruth Lythe
Residents of Warwick Drive, surrounding the septic tank, which is going to cost £6,600 each to fix.
SHOCKED householders have been left reeling after South Lakeland District Council ordered them to stump up £6,600 each for repairs to a faulty sewage system near their homes or face a possible fine', reports Ruth Lythe.
More than 20 households on the Summerlands Estate, near Endmoor, have been told they could face "enforcement action" from the Environment Agency if they do not contribute to the £200,000 repair scheme, which includes replacing a faulty septic tank.
Residents have also been warned that they face court action if they refuse to sign an access agreement allowing workers on to their property.
Householders were informed by SLDC in August 2006 that the tank needed replacing.
But last Thursday (April 5) they were left "gob-smacked" when a letter, informing them they would be liable for an estimated £6,600, landed on their doorsteps just as they were preparing for the Easter break.
The letter sent by NPS North West, the company commissioned by SLDC to design a solution to bring the works up to standard, described how the septic tank that serves the estate, which was installed in the 1950s, had reached the end of its working life.
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Contamination was now washing into surrounding fields and homeowners and the council faced enforcement action from the EA if a "satisfactory scheme was not implemented as soon as possible," it warned.
The letter added that residents would be able to pay their share of the cash upfront, in instalments or have it knocked off the cost of their property when it was sold.
Although the first phase of work began on Tuesday (April 10), the final cost of the works to each household is not yet known.
At a public meeting in the Crooklands Hotel on Tuesday night, residents of the estate voiced their outrage at the way the issue had been handled and asked why they had not been consulted about the work before it began.
For full story, including what the residents had to say, see the April 13 Westmorland Gazette.
