A family are demanding action to prevent raw sewage spewing from a manhole cover onto their land.

Sanitary towels and toilet paper litter the field near the outflow which has even formed a channel spilling into the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. The field is next to Cliff Farm, off Morton Lane.

Yorkshire Water blames a bend in the pipe for the overflows.

Veula Long, who runs the smallholding with her family, says the sewer has burst open two or three times in the last few months. Now she fears it will happen even more often once about 80 planned new homes are constructed off nearby Street Lane.

"It used to happen about once a year," she says. "Then it got to about every six months and now its seems only a matter of weeks before Yorkshire Water had to come and clear it up.

"The men come very promptly and do a good job, but it's getting much worse and we're worried about the health hazard. We have lived here 21 years and there was never anything like this until just recently."

Her son Julian says the manhole cover is raised by the force of the sewage. The sewage is thrown out and pours down towards the canal.

"I've seen it literally gushing out like a torrent," he says. "It's made a channel to the canal."

The family, who have 12 acres and keeps Highland cattle, sheep and ponies, no longer allow animals in the field.

David Miller, chairman of the village society, says several people have expressed concern about the problem. "We would like some assurance that the problem is rectified before any of these new houses are occupied and people start to put more pressure on the sewer," he says.

He believes the Stepping Stones development in the village, which is now completed, is putting extra pressure on the sewer. Other houses have been built as infill development, increasing the volume of sewage.

David Blackburn, of British Waterways which runs the canal, says staff will be investigating.

"We must prevent things like this getting into the canal which is relatively clean," he says. "It doesn't receive industrial overflows or sewage and is therefore quite clean compared with the river.

"If it wasn't as clean as it is, it would not be able to sustain the fish and plant life that it does."

A spokesman for Yorkshire Water says the sewer is not a combined sewer overflow and that the problem is related to the configuration of the sewer pipe, rather than the amount of development in the village. "There is a sharp bend in the pipe which causes a blockage," he says. "We are now looking to resolve the situation and will carry out remedial work." He says Yorkshire Water records reveal the last similar problem was in April and before that in January.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.