What’s going on in the world of tankers?

Waste removal lorries have been stationed on a residential street every day for nearly three months after a sewage pipe collapsed, residents have said.

The pipe in Vista Road, Wickford, Essex collapsed and overflowed on 5 June and has been monitored for potential overflows ever since.

The lorries arrive at 06:00 BST each morning and leave at 16:00, returning at 18:00 and leaving again at 04:00, according to resident Sandie Mills.

Anglian Water said the tankers were needed to take away residents’ wastewater, so they could safely use their toilets and taps.

Louise Graham/ BBC News

Sandie Mills has lived with the lorries near her property for almost three months

Sandie Mills, whose house is close to the parked lorries, has been sleeping in the back of her property to try to avoid the noise.

“There is one lorry that turns up that constantly, has its lights on and runs the lorry all night,” she said.

“We’ve had to move into the back, especially with the windows open in the weather, it’s even louder”

Mrs Mills added she was worried about cars passing the tanker on the corner if there were to be icy conditions in the winter.

Another resident, Alan Warne, was the most affected by the collapse as his manhole cover overflowed with sewage water.

Sue Warne

Waste water and toilet paper flowed into Alan and Sue Warne’s Garden in June

The sewage pipe runs underneath the Southminster railway line, which has caused delays to the repair work.

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “We are aware of a collapsed sewer on Vista Road in Wickford and we’re currently liaising with Network Rail to enable us to begin the repair work.”

In other news its so important to discharge your waste in correct manor at licenced tips, take note Stanley.

Stanley Hall, aged 50, from High Carr Road in Durham, pleaded guilty to discharging contaminated water into a highway drain along the B6317 near Crawcrook on the evening of July 13, 2017. The court saw video evidence, recorded by a vigilant motorist, clearly showing black liquid being discharged from Hall’s vehicle and flowing into roadside gulley holes near Bradley Burn.

Hall defended himself, acknowledging his wrongdoing but claiming he was pressured by his former Hartlepool-based employers, as the tanker needed repairs that evening. The prosecution was brought by the Environment Agency, represented by Rachael Caldwell, Area Environment Manager, who emphasized the seriousness of discharging contaminated liquid waste. She explained the environmental risks posed by such actions, which could harm local watercourses, residents, and wildlife.

Records showed that Hall drove from Hartlepool to Ryton, where he collected around 8,000 litres of waste and delivered it to a sewage treatment plant. However, during a return trip, instead of taking another load to the plant, he emptied the waste onto the road. The day after the incident, an Environment Agency officer inspected the site, documenting the liquid’s path but determining there was no lasting environmental damage.

Caldwell praised the motorist for recording the offense and urged the public to report any suspicious activities related to waste crime to the Environment Agency’s incident hotline or Crimestoppers.