Sewage has been pumped into a South Downs river non-stop for nearly two months – with Park bosses admitting to a Petersfield audience that its clean up is a “priority”.

Concerns about the state of the Rother were raised at the recent Annual Meeting of the Town with one resident saying “you can smell it before you get there”.

Her comments followed a presentation from two South Downs National Park bosses which touched upon a £350,000 bid to improve the Rotherlands Local Nature Reserve on the eastern edge of Petersfield.

Native tree and shrub planting, pathway enhancements and a boardwalk restoration are planned at the 7.6 hectare site, but there’s a feeling the changes will be worthless if water quality doesn’t improve.

South Harting sewage discharge
The latest discharge at the South Harting station began on February 1 according to www.sewagemap.co.uk - the Post has asked for a comment. (www.sewagemap.co.uk)

“Do you have any influence on Southern Water? Because I would just like to see clean rivers and water,” said the resident to Park CEO Sion McGeever and head of planning, Tim Slaney, during the Festival Hall meeting.

A quick glance at www.sewagemap.co.uk also shows the sewage treatment works in South Harting has been discharging into a tributary of the Rother for 1,065 hours and counting as of 10am on Tuesday.

The discharge began on February 1 while a release that continued for several days also recently took place at the Buriton station.

Jess Brown-Fuller MP Chichester
Chichester MP Jess Brown-Fuller, whose constituency touches upon the Rother Valley, has brought up the state of the nearby Lavant in Parliament. (Jess Brown-Fuller MP)

While Southern Water has not replied to our requests for a comment, the company has invested £8.5million into improving the South Harting works to ensure “water leaving the site is even cleaner that it was”.

“This will benefit the River Rother well into the future,” states their announcement, with the opposite being said by Mr McGeever at the recent meeting in Petersfield.

He said: “We don’t think it’s good enough at the moment and we need to bring focus and attention to it.

“It’s a challenge but it will require everyone to work together because there are so many indicators pointing in the wrong direction at the moment.”

*Since this article was posted on March 17 there has been a response from Southern Water, which follows:

A spokesperson said: “Groundwater and groundwater flooding has caused huge challenges for many agencies this year with some areas receiving more than 190 per cent of its long-term average for rainfall in January February and March.

“The challenge in South Harting is water pushes into our own and customer pipes at joints and into manholes. Unchecked this can cause homes, schools and businesses to flood.

“Our priorities are to keep our sewers flowing, prevent homes from flooding and protect the environment.

“A major part of the response has been to use tankers to takeaway excess flows for full treatment at wastewater treatment works but storm releases are sometimes needed too.”