Water butts, some with high-tech solar panel systems, could be the answer to sewage spills into the sea and Kent’s rivers.

The idea, being developed and piloted by Southern Water (SW), would aim to capture heavy rainfall in containers at residents' homes to avoid drains and sewers becoming overwhelmed.

The Green Party has called for the scheme to be introduced in Tonbridge to stop the River Medway bursting its banks.

Kent County Council’s environment and transport committee (January 11) heard SW’s progress on pilot projects at Deal and Margate.

It is part of a £2bn investment in pipes and sewerage to significantly reduce flooding incidents by the end of the decade.

The wastewater firm has come under fierce criticism after illegally discharging millions of gallons of raw sewage into rivers, waterways or the sea.

The company was fined a record £90m in July 2021 for thousands of instances of illegal discharges.

The sentence followed 51 guilty pleas to widespread and long-term breaches of environmental law by SW between 2010 and 2015. It was the biggest criminal investigation in the Environment Agency’s 25-year history.

The Green Party’s Mark Hood said he would like the system also brought into Tonbridge and Malling to prevent catastrophic flooding in areas such as East Peckham and Yalding.

He added: “There is no doubt that Southern Water has done a terrible job in the past but they know they have to sort it out now. We have to do our bit to help.

“The water butts idea is a viable solution. It should be introduced in the Tonbridge area where 90% of the surface rainwater getting into the system comes off the roofs of tightly packed Victorian housing.

“That water enters the Medway below the flood barrier and that’s why we see the problems we do at East Peckham and Yalding.”

Jon Yates, of SW’s Clean Rivers & Seas Task Force, told KCC members that 2,000 water butts have been installed in the region, with around 400 in Kent.

Some of the new 200-litre water butts are solar powered with smart technology to activate a drain valve automatically ahead of increasingly frequent expected heavy downpours.

This allows greater capacity and for run-off to be controlled.

Simple garden butts or planters can be used for garden use leaving at least 50% capacity to capture rainfall.

Mr Yates said other methods, such as tree pits to replace gullies and permeable paving, can be installed on a larger scale.

He said that there is also an emphasis on education projects at local schools and libraries to sow the seeds of the “green solutions”.

KCC has also assisted by clearing or increasing the size of gullies.

Some members have called for water butts to be installed on every newly-built home in Kent.

Mr Yates said: "That would be our ideal."

He added SW was working with planning authorities and developers to achieve water butts in house builds but conceded they might not be aesthetically pleasing to some.

Deal MP Natalie Elphicke hopes the scheme will make the flood-prone seaside town more resilient against storm overflows and sewage discharge.

She said: “This work is bringing fresh thinking and investment to our area that makes us a national leader in tackling storm overflows and sewage discharge prevention.

“It will make our seas and streets cleaner, and protect homes and businesses from flooding too. I am really pleased with the progress that has been made already.”

Deal residents experienced “chronic” internal flooding at their properties due to heavy rain caused by a change in the climate.

SW said: “Properties will continue to be at risk from flooding unless we tackle the amount of surface water that gets into the combined sewer system.”

The committee chairman, Cllr Sean Holden, said he was “very impressed” by the presentation and hoped it would encourage residents to become involved in the use of water butts.