AN independent drainage consultant this week concluded that South Craven's main sewer is overloaded.

But he revealed the situation was the same across the entire country and, in some cases, much worse.

Chris Wotherspoon has been brought in by Bradford Council to produce an independent view of the state of the sewer, which stretches from Cowling to Marley Treatment Works in Keighley and serves the majority of South Craven towns and villages.

He has been drafted in following calls over the last 12 months to stop all development in the Aire Valley until the sewerage system is upgraded.

Bradford Council bosses have said they are not prepared to take that decision until they have an independent view.

Mr Wotherspoon met with concerned residents on Monday in Keighley Town Hall to discuss the issue, but the Herald was barred from attending, along with other members of the press.

However, we can reveal Mr Wotherspoon was shown photographic evidence of raw sewage discharging from manhole covers and into rivers - even during dry conditions.

And he admitted that building more than 1,000 homes in Silsden would cause problems.

He said he would be asking Yorkshire Water what it intended to do about it.

Eastburn resident John Walker, who has collected evidence of sewage problems over the last two years, said he was concerned about Mr Wotherspoon's admission about the state of the entire country's sewers.

"The problem may be the same across the rest of the country, but it doesn't make it right," he said.

"The whole problem is totally unacceptable because raw sewage is both a pollution and a health hazard. Bradford Council should be saying that they're not allowing people to live with this and taking a stand."

Janet Mitchell, of the Silsden Town Action Group (STAG) said solving the town's sewerage problem could mean a financial headache for house builders.

"It's going to add to the cost of development which is additional expense for the developer," she said.

A final report into the South Craven sewer issue is expected to be completed in the next few weeks.

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