As part of an emergency plan to prevent flooding, Southern Water is preparing overland pipes to remove groundwater and prevent it causing internal flooding of homes, schools and businesses.

The water company said the plan will only be implemented in the event of exceptionally high levels of groundwater overloading the sewage system, causing water and sewage to enter people’s homes.

The geology of the Chilbolton area highly vulnerable. The plan – drawn up with co-operation from the Environment Agency – could see the water company pump ground water out of the sewer and drainage network and into nearby watercourses as a last resort.

An impact assessment is currently being carried out and samples from the network and from the area where releases may be made are being collected for analysis.

Alex Saunders, Head of Wastewater Networks, said:

“We are not using the pipes set up to pump into the Test. At the moment tankers are taking excess flows away for normal treatment. This plan will only implemented as an absolute last resort to prevent flooding within homes, schools and businesses because groundwater levels are exceptionally high and overloading the system. It was last used during floods about three years ago and would operate for as short a period as possible. Releasing highly diluted waste water into a watercourse like this is something we do everything in our power to avoid -- but the alternative would mean homes suffering internal flooding.”