Torrential rain on Monday caused flooding in parts of East Sussex and saw a drain in Patcham overflow, causing “raw sewage” to spill onto the street.

The drain, at the junction between Vale Avenue and Mackie Avenue opposite the Ladies Mile Pub, is near a site of recent repair work by Southern Water.

The drain in Patcham (Image: Emily Elliott)

The water company told The Argus the repair was to a manhole and to the road surface. The company’s spokesman said this work was not designed to combat situations of hydraulic overload caused by intense rainfall.

An image of the flooded drain was posted on Facebook, with an anonymous resident saying: “Human waste is still pouring all over the road when it rains.

“This then goes down to the zebra crossing and across the junction to the big puddle that forms outside Cubit and West.

“This is a serious health issue, especially with the school just over the road.”

Anthony Fernandez, 59, who works in a shop in Vale Avenue, which is adjacent to the road where raw sewage was spotted, said: “Repairs are being done everywhere where it’s not required. The whole road gets flooded and cars get stuck in a jam.

“It’s been terrible for the last 12 years.”

Anthony Fernandez (Image: Emily Elloitt)

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I live in Patcham and I would be very upset about sewage coming up out of the system and into open areas where we have to walk and live.”

They added: “We are prone to flooding because of the underground streams in the area.

“I think that the sewage system we have just can’t cope with it all

“With the torrential rain we had, it caused water to flood so many roads and in so many areas.”

Southern Water’s spokesman said: “We are sorry that intense rainfall in Patcham temporarily overloaded our network and led to a manhole flooding.

“Any incident like this is unacceptable and we’re continuing to search for the right long-term solutions in the area that will tackle this problem moving forward.

“We are carrying out detailed surveys of the sewers to identify any problems and act on them.”