Southern Water has admitted a fault at its pumping station was to blame for flooding earlier this month.

Last week we reported how fed up residents in Castlemere Avenue, Queenborough, had hit out at the company after raw sewage filled their street.

It has happened in the road on several occasions and is a constant worry for those that live there, who say they have been failed by the firm, which had previously promised it wouldn’t happen again.

A spokesman for Southern Water apologised and said its most recent investigation into the flooding found a problem with the control system at the Rushenden Road pumping station was to blame.

They added: “The problem has now been fixed so the site is back working as it should.”

MP Gordon Henderson’s office has been told Southern Water plans to assign staff who live on the Island as emergency responders, which means they can be contacted if an urgent alarm is triggered and be on site quickly.

Kent Highways has cleansed and tested the drains in Castlemere Avenue and no defects were found.