Water clean-up action needed in flooded south-west England

A water clean-up operation could be required in parts of Cornwall in the south-west of England, after sewage started to flow through the streets.

Heavy rain has ripped up manhole covers in the village of Par, BBC News reports, despite the best efforts of the Environment Agency of England and Wales, which has launched flood warnings in the area.

South West Water has issued an apology for the delay in dealing with the wastewater overspill, claiming that there had been a large amount of rain in a small space of time.

Assistant head of waste at Cornwall Council Dave Owens told the news provider that work is scheduled to start next month on fitting flood doors and non-return valves to prevent properties from being decimated by floodwater.

"This area reacts very quickly to heavy rainfall and these properties are in very susceptible zones," he was quoted as saying.

Yesterday (October 24th) the Environment Agency warned people in Pembrokeshire and Cornwall that the threat of flooding was very real and added that it had deployed staff overnight to strengthen flood defences and clear drains.