It’s said untreated sewage was being left on the street for up to 72 hours in an area that is popular for dog walking and horse riding. ‘We can’t access our front door unless we walk through it.’
Alison Stephenson Local Democracy Reporter
13:48, 18 Dec 2025Updated 16:52, 18 Dec 2025
Sewage on the street at Maple Way.(Image: Submitted)
Ongoing issues of sewage overflowing onto a residential street in Woolwell and into nearby woodland are causing public health concerns and fears for wildlife.
Residents of Maple Way in Woolwell said untreated sewage was being left on the street for up to 72 hours in an area that is a very popular spot for dog walking and horse riding.
They have contacted their MP Rebecca Smith to intervene.
South West Water (SWW) said the sewage pumping station near Maple Way had been overwhelmed with excess flows during periods of heavy rain and it was “carrying out a full investigation to remove these flows and fix the issue as quickly as possible”.
Resident Gemma Howe said all of her driveway and and the public footpath was covered in raw sewage from all over the village.
“All we keep getting told is the pumping station is not able to cope with the rainfall. So basically every time time it rains this will happen and we basically have to live with it.
“We can’t access our front door unless we walk through it and I would strongly advise people to not access the forest this way.”
She said she and a neighbour had reported it so many times to SWW and the Environment Agency as it ran down into the forest and the river.
Another resident, who only wanted to be named as Matt, claimed it contravened the Public Health Act and the Water Industry Act.
He mentioned that all this had been going on for a year – meanwhile SWW had increased residents’ water bills by 123 per cent.
“The woods are home to large populations of deer, foxes, badgers and other mammals which will be affected by the sewage,” he said. “It is also likely to have seeped into streams that feed into the River Plym in Plymbridge woods.”
Maple Way at Woolwell where there is an ongoing problem of sewage overflowing(Image: Submitted)
He added that untreated sewage could be left on the street for days as SWW and its contractors often did not turn up straight away.
“This street and entrance into the woods is very popular with dog walking and horse riding.
We feel let down by South West Water who have known about the issue for over a year and have not done anything to rectify the issue, meanwhile untreated sewage continues to flow into the street and woods, endangering our health and that of nature.”
This week in all the heavy rain the water company sent out two tankers to continuously pump out water and sewage but it was still backing up into the home of one resident, he said.
SWW said: “During heavy rainfall, our sewage pumping station near Maple Way has been overwhelmed with excess flows which we believe is being caused by incorrectly connected pipes adding rainwater to our sewer network.
“We are carrying out a full investigation to remove these flows and fix the issue as quickly as possible.
“We are sorry for any disruption caused to local residents and we want to reassure them that we’re taking this matter very seriously and will keep them updated as we complete this work.”
South West Devon Conservative MP Ms Smith said she had been contacted by several constituents in the Maple Way area and was continuing to press SWW for “urgent action”.
“It is extremely disappointing that residents are experiencing repeated incidents of sewage flooding in their community and that this problem has persisted without a clear, long-term solution being put in place.
“Whilst South West Water have informed me that they will continue to provide me with further updates, I will keep pushing them to deliver a permanent and lasting fix as a matter of urgency.
“Residents quite rightly expect more than short-term measures, and I will continue to press for clear answers, firm timescales and meaningful action, while keeping constituents fully informed as soon as I receive more substantive information.”
