Southern Water engineers on site of burst sewer sending effluent towards Sturt Pond SSSI at Milford

Water engineers battled to contain a burst sewer sending effluent towards a protected site at Milford.

The alarm was raised on Thursday, with reports of a major leak on a track leading to the Pleasure Gardens at the junction of Blackbush Road, Sharvells Road and Studland Drive.

Raw sewage and water was said to have been pumping into the Danestream, which flows through the village to Sturt Pond, an SSSI (site of special scientific interest).

Tankers were sent to the scene by Southern Water to repair what it described as a burst rising main.

The firm said checks of the nearby watercourse for pollution found “only slightly higher than usual” ammonia levels.

One local told the A&T they believed the issue was caused by an electrician drilling through a pipe. But no details of the cause were released by Southern Water.

A spokesperson for the firm said: “Our teams are repairing a burst sewer near Pleasure Grounds in Milford-on-Sea.

“We understand the concern this has caused and we’re doing everything we can to minimise the environmental impact of this through a tankering operation.

“While our repairs take place, there may be some disruption and noise and the public footpath may have to be closed to allow for the work to take place. We’re sorry for the disruption this is having.”

Milford parish clerk Graham Wells acknowledged the concerns for the environmentally sensitive area but praised engineers’ quick response.

He also said a dog walker had visited the council office and said the pet had jumped into the stream but did not smell of sewage.

“Obviously, there is a concern if raw sewage is going into the stream, but obviously it’s good news that Southern Water were quickly at the scene and are working to resolve this issue,” Mr Wells told the A&T.

Southern Water said it expected the repair work to take up to two to three days.