A parish council is kicking up a stink about sewage – vowing to oppose all new housing applications until the system is reviewed.

The antiquated arrangement in Hollingbourne means foul water regularly has to be pumped out through a manhole in the front garden of a home in Hasteds when the level gets too high.

It is understood the village is served by a 10cm-wide sewage pipe, going under the M20 before connecting with the main drain.

There have also been problems with leaks in people’s homes in the past.

Now, in the face of a raft of new homes in the village, the council is refusing to agree to any more applications until Southern Water completes a review of the situation.

Cllr John Cobbett said: “Pumping it out is a temporary solution. I think the water company should put in a pipe system that is adequate. From what I hear it is not a problem just affecting Hollingbourne but a number of villages, including Headcorn.

“It should have been dealt with some time ago and needs to be resolved.”

Hasteds resident Mike Fletcher, 69, has suffered 30 years of sewage problems in his grounds as most of Hollingbourne’s effluent goes under his home.

His garden is the one which contains the manhole that has to be regularly emptied. On one occasion he found foul water had flooded his patio during heavy rains on Christmas Eve.

Fortunately this has not been repeated since he contacted Southern Water’s managing director four years ago, demanding a device was installed to monitor the levels.

The retired university lecturer said: “You can imagine what it smells like, it is awful. It also means we can’t use our toilet and the level rises.

“The parish council is absolutely right to put a stop on determining more developments until this is looked at.”

Permission is in place for 14 four and five-bedroom houses built by Wealden Homes in Eyhorne Street, and a number of other sites have been identified by Maidstone council as being ripe for more.

The parish council has written to the authority’s chief executive Alison Broom formally complaining its calls for checks on the capacity of the sewage system were ignored before the latest approvals were given.