A call has been made for housing development to be stopped in the Worth Valley after sewage was found running into the River Worth.

A Yorkshire Water chief has already admitted that sewer overflows in the Aire Valley are 'not satisfactory' and that seven upgrades are needed.

Kevin Whiteman, the company's business director for waste water, has agreed with the Environment Agency to upgrade parts of the sewerage system over the next five years.

Now Worth Valley councillor Kris Hopkins has called for housing development to be halted after the Environment Agency identified nine failures in the high level sewer system in the Worth Valley.

"We have raw sewage running into the River Worth because of over-development," said Coun Hopkins.

He has now called for an immediate enquiry into why planning permission has been granted for housing developments when the Council could not say whether the sewage system could cope with further housing.

"We have seen the massive destruction of our greenfield sites and it now appears that one of the key requirements for planning permission - the sewage system - have not been met," he said.

"We need an immediate halt to all building and the rejection of all new housing development in the Worth Valley. We have said all along the infrastructure cannot cope with the overdevelopment."

The system which the Environment Agency has condemned could take five years to restore.

The planning committee has three major developments in the Worth Valley to decide on next month. And a 16-field site has been identified under Bradford Council's controversial Unitary Development Plan - its planning blueprint - and the vacant land survey for development in Oakworth.

Coun John Cope (Lab, Worth Valley) said: "Keighley planning sub-committee has been alerted to concerns about problems with sewers in the Aire Valley. There is evidence of problems in the Worth Valley which we will pursue."

He added that Coun Hopkins recent forecasts about additional housing in Oakworth are at least 50 per cent overstated and most land allocations have not been activated since 1980 when they were approved.

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