Residents in Keyingham are seeing progress after Graham Stuart MP and Cllr Sean McMaster worked together to press Yorkshire Water and other agencies to tackle long-running flooding and sewer problems in the village.
The campaign began after Cllr Sean McMaster raised residents’ concerns with Graham. Graham then wrote to households across Keyingham asking people to share their experiences before meeting residents in the village to hear first-hand how repeated flooding and sewage issues were affecting their lives.
Residents described overflowing manholes, flooding affecting homes, gardens and roads, toilets backing up during heavy rain, and fears that the village’s drainage system could no longer cope. Many said they were frustrated at being passed from one organisation to another without a lasting solution.
Following those meetings, Graham and Sean brought Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency and East Riding Council together to agree a joined-up programme of action and ensure everyone was working from the same understanding of the problems facing the village.
As a result, Yorkshire Water committed to a programme of investigations and repair work.
The company has now confirmed it has completed all of the actions agreed following those discussions. These include specialist root removal from the sewer network, a detailed inspection of the pumping station, analysis of its performance during periods of heavy rainfall, and consideration of longer-term improvements to reduce the risk of future root ingress.
Yorkshire Water says the pumping station is operating as expected following its inspections and has confirmed it will continue considering whether further longer-term interventions, including lining sections of sewer, are appropriate.
Graham Stuart said:
“Sean and I have worked closely together from the start because residents deserved more than organisations passing the buck.
“We began by listening. Residents told us what they had been experiencing, we brought everyone responsible together and made sure Yorkshire Water investigated the issues properly.
“I’m pleased Yorkshire Water has completed the work it committed to, but people in Keyingham will judge this by what happens the next time we have heavy rain.
“We’ll keep working together and holding the agencies to account until residents have confidence these long-running problems have been properly addressed.”
Cllr Sean McMaster said:
“From the beginning, Graham and I have worked closely together to make sure residents’ concerns were heard and acted upon.
“I’m pleased Yorkshire Water has carried out the work and investigations it committed to following our meetings. I also welcome its commitment to continue considering longer-term improvements to help prevent future problems.
“We’ll continue monitoring the situation closely and, if further action is needed, we’ll keep pressing until Keyingham gets the long-term solutions it deserves.”
Residents who responded to Graham’s survey reported sewage affecting homes, gardens and outbuildings, overflowing manholes, blocked drains and repeated flooding during heavy rainfall. Those responses formed the basis of the discussions with Yorkshire Water and the other agencies.
