Yorkshire Water's update on Wheathead Lane sewage collapse

Water mixed with sewage and debris - including sanitary products, paper and wipes - has been leaking along Wheathead Lane, Keighley, for over a week.

Bradford-based Yorkshire Water said the issue was caused by a collapsed sewer which spilt its unsightly contents onto the roadside.

One dog walker said the busy flow of traffic and heavy rainfall combined with the sewage leak created an unpleasant mist for pedestrians along the route.

Photos show an array of damp paper, stones, and what appears to be excrement among the cracks and gullies in the road.

The area surrounding the collapsed sewer was sectioned off by orange fencing and cones.

Work is now underway to fix the road, Yorkshire Water said, while the sewage has since been cleared.

The fenced off section of Wheathead Lane, Keighley (Image: Newsquest, Mike Simmonds)

The resident, who lives on nearby Random Close, compared the dip in the road to a sink hole.

The man, who did not wish to be named, told the Telegraph & Argus: “For about the last week, water’s been coming out of it [Wheathead Lane].

“We’ve got water gushing down the gullies on the side of the road.

“It’s pretty unpleasant and pretty unhealthy.

“You can see things drifting down the road and it doesn’t take much to work out what they were. It was horrible - all sorts.

“Walking the dog, you had to sort of step away. The road itself, when it was raining, cars coming down, it was spray everywhere and in the spray you’ve got debris.

“There’s quite a few roads that lead off it, it’s quite a major road.

“You could see there’s stuff about and there was stones and rocks and rubble.

“There’s about three or four houses, it’s right outside. When they come out the house you’ve got to walk down their little bit of drive and you’re straight into this torrent of muck. There are families there.

“It’s ridiculous.

A sewer has collapsed on Wheathead Lane (Image: Camera Club)

“It’s got worse and worse."

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said: “We’re aware of a collapsed sewer on Wheathead Lane, Keighley, which has caused sewage to back up and spill onto the road.

"Our teams are onsite fixing this and we’d like to thank our customers for bearing with us while we repair this as soon as possible.”

The spokesperson said repairs to the damaged sewer began on Tuesday, July 18. The traffic light system will allow workers to complete the job safely.

The spokesperson added: “We understand how distressing these incidents can be and we apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “We are supporting Yorkshire Water to resolve this issue as quickly as possible”.

A number of residents made contact with local councillors in the area and raised their concerns on social media.

Councillor Paul Godwin (Labour, Keighley West) and Councillor Julie Glentworth (Conservative, Keighley West) were among representatives who passed on reports to Yorkshire Water.

But Cllr Glentworth said the issue had not been dealt with quickly enough.

The Council said she first reported neighbours’ complaints to Yorkshire Water and Bradford Council 10 days ago.

Earlier this week, Cllr Glentworth said she was told Yorkshire Water is currently trialling a new response system, where certain postcodes are allocated to contractors. 

The reported changes to help in the Keighley postcode have not been shared with residents, she claimed.

Yorkshire Water did not comment on the councillor’s claims when approached by the Telegraph & Argus.

Cllr Glentworth said: “The resident might have complained but it’s not gone down the contracted team to the postcode area.

“Nobody bothered to tell anybody that they’re doing this trial and certain postcodes will be dealt with by somewhere else.

“If we’d have been notified we would have known straight away who to go to.”

She added: “We’re constantly saying to Yorkshire Water, you need to deal quicker with these things.

“We’re constantly trying to chase everything. These companies don’t think about the customer at the end.”