The UK town ‘drowning in sewage’ as fears grow they'll be more under Angela Rayner plans

For the people of Buckingham, a sense of dread begins to envelop them as soon as it starts raining. And no, it’s not because rain makes the weather depressing and dreary. The actual reason behind Buckingham residents’ distress is much more sinister: sewage.

In November 2024, six hours after the pretty market town’s drains overflowed, the banks of the River Ouse — which runs through the quaint town and is replete with sewage — broke and flooded the town that's located in Buckinghamshire. Speaking to Mail Online, 65-year-old Buckingham resident Nick Robinson explained more about the dreadful event.

He said: “You see horrible things floating around – faeces, lavatory paper. Whatever anyone’s put down, it comes into my house. It’s happened four times now.”

Nick recalls how his 17th-century listed property “filled up like a swimming pool”, and it has taken over eight months to restore it. His property is finally almost ready for him to move back into, but the scarring memories of the flooding sewage on his floors remain. According to Nick, the local council and water company have failed to improve Buckingham’s decrepit sewage system. Instead, they’ve approved, built, and connected even more houses to it, adding more strain to the already overworked and overcrowded system.

Julian and Janice Scarr, who have lived in their 17th-century home close to the river since 2020, also spoke to Mail Online.

They said: “No one comes to clean the road. We walk through contaminated water until the rain washes it off.”

Surprisingly, since 2015, Buckingham’s sewage facility has been unable to cope with more waste and is at capacity. However, more than 1,000 new houses have been built across the market town in the last decade alone. Moreover, this May, the Buckinghamshire Council approved the development of another 153 new houses in Maids Moreton, an adjoining village that relies on the same sewage system as Buckingham.

In addition to those numbers, four other Buckingham developments are currently going through the planning process. and if approved, they will add a total of 1,108 extra houses to the already-burdened sewage system. The system is so overwhelmed that not only is it dumping sewage into the River Ouse, but it also frequently destroys businesses and homes, leaving residents floating in waste, literally.

Michael Bracken, Buckinghamshire Council's Deputy Cabinet Member for Planning, exclusively told the Express: “Management of the water and sewage infrastructure is the responsibility of the relevant water company. As regards any new development, key considerations such as environmental impact, infrastructure capacity, and services are taken into consideration and evaluated as part of the planning process.

"Regarding the new development in the area at Maids Moreton, this involves land allocated for housing in the existing local plan. There is a planning condition that prevents any part of the development from being occupied unless and until confirmation has been provided to the Council that wastewater upgrades have been completed to accommodate the additional flows from the development. It doesn’t stop the homes being built or sold but they cannot be occupied until it's proven that the local wastewater system can cope with the additional usage and that a necessary upgrade has been completed.”

Speaking on the issue, an Anglian Water spokesperson exclusively told the Express: “We know how disruptive and damaging flooding can be for homes, communities, and the environment. That’s why we’ve developed a comprehensive strategy to reduce the risk and impact of flooding across our region.

“Flooding in our region stems from a range of sources, including hydraulic overloading from excess surface and groundwater, blockages caused by unflushables, fats, oils, and grease, and severe weather events, such as those seen through Storm Bert in November 2024.

“To tackle these challenges, we’re investing in advanced modelling and visualisation tools to predict and prevent flooding, more proactive maintenance, and rapid response teams to address blockages and asset failures and collaborative partnerships with local authorities and communities to build resilience.”

However, Buckingham is far from being the only town at a breaking point as it suffers under the weight of too much waste. With Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and the Labour Party’s towering target of building 1.5 million homes by 2029, several more towns in the UK are bound to feel the severe effects of overworked water systems that are no longer fit for purpose.

Bermondsey and Clapham residents have also watched as their streets have been submerged after pipe bursts in the districts sent flood water surging through the South of London.

However, the problem is universal. In 2024, sewage spills in Britain more than doubled from 1.75 million hours in 2022 to 3.6 million hours. Ofwat, the regulator for the water and sewerage sectors in England and Wales, fined Thames Water almost £123 million in May for violating regulations related to its wastewater operations.

Thames Water reported a 33% rise in sewage leaks last year, alongside a significant pre-tax loss of £1.65 billion. In addition, Ofwat recently found that South West Water had repeatedly discharged sewage, resulting in a £24 million settlement from the company. Investigations into Anglian Water are still underway.