Scottish Water takes weeks to stop sewage leaking from a drain in the centre of Forres

A DRAIN leaking raw sewage near a local primary school has been fixed - weeks after it was first reported.

Scottish Water were informed of the issue at South Street, a stones throw from Anderson's Primary, on March 2 but were unable to deal with it until this week due to logistical problems with jetting equipment.

A company spokesperson explained: "A suspected blockage affecting the sewer was reported to us in early March. Our local team attended immediately but was unable to clear the blockage due to its distance from the nearest manhole access.

"Attendance by a specialised vehicle capable of operating at this distance was requested and we would like to apologise to customers for the delay in this being arranged.

"One of our contractors attended with a suitable vehicle earlier this week and was able to clear the choke, clean up the affected area and return the sewer to normal operation."

Forres Community Council member, John Innes, who lives nearby, reported the issue and was not impressed by the length of time taken to sort it out.

He said: "Sewage was bubbling out of the drain outside the old dentists on South Street for more than a fortnight. The drain appears to be for storm water and combined sewage.

"The overflow was running down South Street into another drain near Thomson's garage. Pedestrians were tramping through it and cars running through it were splashing it onto the pavement.

"It looks like it's all dried out now and the drain had been cleared."

He added: "There is egg on Scottish Water's face again as, after bringing these things to their attention, to not to deal with it as an emergency is a shocking response."

Scottish Water confirmed the blockage was caused by a build up of wet wipes, combined with fats, oils and greases.

New media campaign 'Nature Calls' is asking people all over Scotland to "bin the wipes" to protect the environment and prevent the unpleasant consequences of blockages within communities.

A Scottish Water spokesman added: "Wipes should always be binned and not flushed. Our sewer system wasn’t built to receive anything other than the three 'Ps': paper, pee and poo.

"We are also calling for a ban on wipes containing plastic, which both contribute to blockages and can cause long-lasting harm to nature."