A water company has admitted its network is in “poor condition” in a village where streams of raw sewage running down the streets are a regular occurrence.

Southern Water has acknowledged its system in Teynham is not up to scratch and cannot handle the hundreds of new homes which have already been given planning permission.

KentOnline revealed back in July how sewage was pouring out of manhole covers in Frognal Lane, which is set to have almost 300 homes built in fields next to it.

Wayne Kennett, who has lived in Frognal Lane for four years, said that leaks occurred “every two to three months” but one particularly bad overflow in October 2023 saw sewage stream out for “three days straight”, making the area “stink to high hell”.

On that occasion, sewage also came out in the 64-year-old’s garden.

Robert Requena, who has lived in Frognal Gardens for seven years, called the leaks “disgraceful” and a “health hazard”.

Southern Water has previously said it can only connect 50 newbuilds to the system without needing more “reinforcement”.

The company, which is putting people's bills up by 47% this year, said in July that it was investigating the issue but provided no other comment at that time.

Faversham and Mid Kent MP Helen Whately (Con), whose constituency covers Teynham, has now revealed she has received a letter from the firm admitting its sewer network is in “poor condition”.

It also said it "lacks sufficient capacity for the developments that have already been granted planning permission”.

Southern Water says it is planning to upgrade the system sometime between this year and 2030.

Mrs Whately said the company had put the overflows in Frognal Lane down to “wet weather” and sewer blockages caused by “wet wipes, fat, oil and grease incorrectly disposed of down sinks”.

Severe wet weather is primarily what overloads our sewers leading to storm overflows, but this is exacerbated by blockages.

Recent Southern Water surveys of the network between Teynham and Sittingbourne Wastewater Treatment Works showed that these were being caused not only by things such as wet wipes, fat, oil and grease being put down drains and blocking them up but by tree roots growing into the pipes and compounding the issue.

Mrs Whatley called the situation “disgusting” and “unacceptable”.

She added: “Southern Water told us they are planning works to fix the problems. I’ll be keeping a close eye on this, as residents deserve better.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Julien Speed (Con) has been chasing the water company for answers since July 2023, when residents first reported the sewage problems to him.

Cllr Speed, who represents the village on Swale council, called Southern Water’s admission a “huge step forward” and hopes it will bring the infrastructure to cope with new homes.

He said: “I am worried about the added pressure that the 300 new houses planned at Frognal Place will have on the sewage network.

“It simply won’t cope and will completely overwhelm the system, causing even more misery.

“I am now relieved, although the timeframe in which they will fix it remains a concern.”

A spokesperson for Southern Water said: “A recent survey of our sewer network between Teynham and Sittingbourne Wastewater Treatment Works highlighted the need for upgrades, due to the risk of blockages from in-growing tree roots and the build-up of ‘unflushables’ like wet wipes, fat, oil and grease.

“Our teams have already removed the roots, and are now working hard to find the right long-term engineering solution for the pipes – taking into account future population growth in the area.

“We are also planning to improve the treatment processes and capacity of the Sittingbourne works, as we continue our drive to cut storm overflow activity.”