Southern Water has reaffirmed that Deal’s sewer pipe network is fit for purpose and that it can cope when the area has heavy rainfalls.

The confirmation has come after Cllr Trevor Bond told the Mercury he wasn’t convinced after receiving a “wishy washy” response over what is causing Albert Road’s flooding.

In September and January Albert Road in particular has fallen victim to the floodwater and some homes have been ruined as a result.

Cllr Bond says the issue has been ongoing over the last 10 years.

A Southern Water spokesman addressed the councillor’s claims that the pipes are not of an adequate size to take the extra water capacity.

The firm has said the sewer pipes gradually increase from 825mm to 1200mm down Albert Road, to 1800mm just over the railway line.

The spokesman said: “We carried out an investigation which included putting a CCTV camera in the sewers to identify any discrepancies. However, our findings confirmed that there is no restrictions on the sewer pipe – it is capable of dealing with the volume of wastewater that passes through it.”

It also said that the drains are monitored under a maintenance process, because on occasion, a small scale build-up of road grit and fat has been present.

But this is regularly cleaned out. The spokesman said: “We are undertaking inspections of a number of combined sewer outfalls (CSO) within the Deal network as well as our surface water outfalls.

“This will help us rule out any possible cross flow from these into the combined sewerage system.”

In a statement, Southern Water said: “We understand flooding is an emotive issue and we take our responsibilities very seriously.

“It has been suggested that the cause of flooding could be related to pumping station failure, blocked drains or the sewer pipes not being able to accommodate flows.

“We always aim to be open and transparent with our customers and would like to assure them that our water pumping station in Golf Road is working as it should.

“Investigations into the cause of the incident in January are currently underway in the wider sewerage network of Deal.

“In addition, we carry out routine cleaning of our sewer pipes to remove any build-ups and following a thorough investigation, we can confirm our pipes are capable of dealing with the volume of wastewater that passes through them.

“Investigations into the cause of the incident in January are currently underway in the wider sewerage network of Deal.' - Southern Water

“As each stage of the investigation is completed the results will be communicated back to residents and Cllr Bond.

“The causes of flooding are complex and cannot be tackled by one organisation alone.

“Moving forward we will continue to work alongside Dover District Council, the Environment Agency and highways authorities to help find a solution for Albert Road residents.”