A parish council chairman is calling for a block on future housing development in the Aire Valley until Yorkshire Water gives assurances that sewers can cope.

Under Bradford council's controversial Unitary Develop-ment Plan (UDP) - its land-use blueprint - there are proposals to build many new houses in Steeton, Eastburn and Silsden.

Steeton-with-Eastburn parish council chairman David Emmott will speak at next week's meeting of Bradford council, telling members that residents know there are 'huge problems' with the sewers. He will hand over a 20-name petition calling for action. "For the last ten years residents have reported frequent fountains of raw sewage emitting from the sewer pipe which runs from Kildwick to the Marley treatment works," he says. "Surface water intended for surface water drains is finding its way into foul water drains, overloading them, and creating a pressure that manhole covers cannot contain. Yorkshire Water says there is no problem. How can raw sewage spraying public footpaths and open fields be no problem?"

A Yorkshire Water spokes-man confirms blockages have been removed in the past. "There have been occasional overflows at times of frequent and heavy rainfall," he says. "In order to deal with that debris has been cleared to remove the possibility of blockages."

Mr Emmott's calls are backed by John Walker, of Halsteads Way, Steeton. He has written to Yorkshire Water and the Office of Water Services, and is seeking the help of Keighley MP Ann Cryer. Mr Walker claims he was assured by Yorkshire Water that the main trunk sewer could cope.

"I asked for statistics to prove this but Yorkshire Water say it is not their policy to release them," he says.

He believes Yorkshire Water should make its statistics known because it would reassure concerned people. He also says Yorkshire Water has no commercial rivals who might benefit from the figures.

"Because Yorkshire Water are currently undertaking a drainage area plan for the area I believe it had no statistics available," he adds. "So how could it issue reassurances that the sewer could cope?"

In a letter to Yorkshire Water chief executive Dr Kevin Bond, Mrs Cryer says Mr Walker suggested that the company could issue the data to an independent third party who could view it and confirm the findings. "I thought this might be a good idea as I don't expect the local residents would be reassured until something of this nature takes place," she says. "It might help prevent complaints and problems in the long run."

Dr Bond replied saying: "A drainage study is still ongoing and we are hopeful that by the beginning of March there will be sufficiently robust information to respond to Mr Walker's concerns.

"I would just add that the flow to the public sewerage system from the proposed development should be rest-ricted to flows only, the surface water being discharged to a watercourse, and as such the rate of flow compared with storm-generated flows is exp-ected to be minimal."

But Mr Emmott asks: "Why at this late hour is Yorkshire Water conducting a survey? Is it finally admitting there is a problem?"

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